Where the Bridge Burns
by TheQueenGleek18
Summary: Belle Jackson moves with her family to Dillon so that her father can be assistant coach of the Dillon Panthers. This is just her life and what happens when she enters the story. Eventual Tim/OC.
1. Prologue and Monday 1

A/N: This is my first FNL fan fiction. I've just recently started watching the show and I absolutely love it! Let me know what you think, but please no flames. 3

* * *

There are three things in Texas that we do very big: hair, parties, and football. I've grown up my entire life surrounded by all three of these. My daddy has been coaching since before I can remember and there's always been one thing that he's done very well: win. Daddy's taken six different high school teams to the state championships, something he's very proud of and won't hesitate to admit.

Now, daddy has decided that head coaching jobs are too much and is going to make us move (again) so that he can be an assistant coach. I've lived all over Texas and even in Nevada when I was younger. Being the only daughter a football-crazed coach has always been hard. My older brother, Jesse is a football legend and is being looked at to a fullback for the Dallas Cowboys, something that makes daddy practically jump up and down. My mom is the only person in the house who really understands me. While I love football, there is a point where it becomes too much. That's what mom is there for. She lets me have the breaks I need from the daily lives of Coach Jackson and his football world.

So here I am, sitting in the car on my way to Dillon, Texas, and a place known for its outstanding football. This is where daddy will be assisting Coach Taylor with his daily activities and anything he needs. Coach Taylor. He and daddy are probably the most famous men to ever coach in Texas. It's going to be an interesting school year.

* * *

"To the right a little, babe," I heard my mother say from the living room. She was 'supervising' my father and brother setting up all the furniture. "No, back to the left." I chuckled.

"Honey," Daddy said soothingly, almost like he was trying to make sure he didn't hurt mom's feelings. "I think the couch will look fine if we just live in here. It looks good no matter how many inches we move it to the left." He sounded slightly winded.

I walked out of my room and down the hall in time to see Jesse and daddy finally set down the couch. Daddy sat down on it and just breathed for a moment. MY brother clapped him on the shoulder. "Not as young as you used to be dad?"

Daddy just laughed and lifted himself off the couch. "You better watch yourself boy." I rolled my eyes and walked past them to go get more of my boxes out of the moving truck.

As I was lifting my last box out of the truck, I heard a throat clear behind me. When I turned I had to look down to meet the eyes of the young man in the wheelchair who had tried to get my attention.

"Hi," He said with a very sweet smile. I set down the box and got out of the trick to shake his hand.

"Hi there," His grip was firm and his arm muscles bulged just when he moved them.

He reached into his lap and pulled up a plastic container holding what looked like cookies. "My mom sent me over to welcome you to the neighborhood," He handed me the container and smiled again. "I'm Jason. We live right across the street from ya'll."

"Well it's nice to meet you Jason. I'm Belle." We stood there for a moment. "Thank you very much for the cookies. They look great." Jason opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by my brother, who came barreling out of the house towards the truck.

"Yo, sis, need some help?" He didn't notice Jason until he was almost right next to him. My brother did a man nod and reached down to take Jason's hand. "Hey man. What's up? I'm Jesse."

The two did some kind of manly handshake before Jason spoke. "Jason. It's nice to meet you. I was just telling your sister about how we live across the street. MY mom made me bring over some cookies to welcome ya'll." Jesse's eye immediately went to the container in my hands. He took it and opened it, tearing a cookie in half before speaking again.

"Thanks man. These are great." I rolled my eyes. Boys are such….boys.

"So," Jason said, breaking the silence and talking over the sound of my brother chomping on the cookies. "What did you guys move to Dillon for?"

I answered quickly, since I knew my brother was too busy stuffing his face. "Our dad is the new assistant coach at the high school."

Jason looked up at us and smiled brighter. "No way," Jesse and I exchanged a look. "I help out coach Taylor. I used to be QB1, but…" He trailed down and looked at his wheelchair. "The Lord had other plans."

Despite the sadness of his situation, Jason still had that sparkle in his eye. He had obviously somewhat accepted his injury and moved on as much as one can when they're paralyzed.

My thoughts were interrupted when a loud pick up truck pulled up in front of Jason's house. Out stepped a God in cowboy boots. His long dark blond hair reached his plaid covered shoulders. He looked over at us, noticing Jason and starting walking over.

"What's going on 6?" He asked once he reached our driveway. His eyes were hidden behind dark glasses, but I could feel him scrutinizing Jesse and me.

Jason rolled over towards him and they did a manly handshake (something I still don't understand). "Not much Riggs. Just meeting the new assistant coach's kids." 'Riggs' attention snapped to us and he pulled his glasses away from his face, although it looked as if it pained him to do so.

Now that I could completely see his face, I could tell that 'Riggs' was quite hung over and had been so many times lately. What would drive someone to drink so much is completely beyond me.

"This is my buddy, Tim Riggins. He's one of the best fullbacks the Dillon panthers have ever seen." Jason introduced Tim, who simply nodded, his attention focused on my face. "Tim this is Jesse and his sister Belle. Coach Jackson's kids."

Jesse seemed slightly unnerved by Tim's study of me and stepped up to shake his hand. "I'm a fullback too. It'll be a pleasure working with you." Tim cringed as they shook hands and I had to smack Jesse's arm to get him to back away from his fellow teammate. I rolled my eyes and moved to pick up the box I had set down earlier.

"Do you need some help?" I was surprised to hear Tim ask. He didn't seem like the kind of guy to offer help without something in return. I just stared at him.

"Sure, man," My brother, offered. I looked down and away from Tim, attempting to hide the redness of my cheeks after staring at him. "We have to move the rest of the furniture into the living room and dining room if you don't mind the heavy lifting."

Tim shrugged, brushing off the idea of heavy lifting bothering him. "Nah, just show me where to put stuff," At that, my brother and I shared a chuckle.

"Good luck," I said, remembering the way my mother had dictated the moving of the couch. "It was nice meeting you both," I said, smiling at Jason and stealing a glance at Tim before making my way back inside.

"Yeah," Jason called after me. "See you at school on Monday."

I almost groaned. School was something I was not looking forward to.

* * *

**MONDAY**

"Come on Jesse," I whined from outside my brother's bedroom door. "I don't want to be late. It's already bad enough being the new kid."

My brother opened his door and walked past me towards the kitchen. "Ok, I'm ready. Don't get your panties in a bunch, brat." I picked up the other cereal bar and threw it at his head, but he caught it with his football player skills. "Nice throw, sis."

* * *

Pulling up to Dillon High School was a scary moment. There were so many people milling around in the parking lot. Some of them looked over at our truck as we parked. Jesse just got right out, but I sat and stared at the building in front of me.

"Sis, come on," Jesse's voice was low and laced with sympathy. He knew that absolutely hated new schools. Ever since…

"Belle!" Jesse's voice broke me out of my stupor and I finally opened the door to get out. I walked around and stood next to Jesse, who placed his arm around my shoulders. "Let's do this."

The halls of Dillon High were more crowded and loud then anywhere we'd ever been. Girls and boys were running around and trying to either get where there needed to be or find their friends before the bell rang.

"Dad said we need to find the guidance counselor," I almost had to yell over the noise in the hallway to talk to my brother. He nodded and kept moving us down the hallway. As we were walking, I noticed Jason situated by some lockers and tapped Jesse's arm to get him to notice. He steered us towards him.

"Hey, Jesse, Belle," He and Jesse did their same handshake and I just nodded at him. He glanced around the hallway, and then smiled at us. "Crazy, isn't it?"

Again, I just nodded and felt slightly embarrassed that for some reason, I just couldn't talk. "You're telling me, man," My brother commented, also looking around. "Can you tell us where the guidance counselor's office is? WE have to get our schedules." Jason nodded and told us to follow him. AS we made our way down the hall, I could see Tim ahead, making out with some blond girl against the lockers. I rolled my eye. I knew I had been right about Tim Riggins.

When we reached the guidance office, Jason left and told Jesse that he'd see him at practice. An older looking secretary led us into the office where a younger looking woman was seated.

"Alright, so you two are Jesse and Isabelle Jackson." She stood up shook both our hands. "I'm Mrs. Taylor. Now let's find ya'lls schedules and get you all situated." She typed on the computer and two pieces of paper started printing. "Alright, so here ya'll are. Now Coach Taylor is my husband and he'll be happy to meet you Jesse." She handed me my schedule. "Now, I have a daughter your age. Her name is Julie. I'm sure you'll have a few classes together so you should seek her out. She's very nice so she won't have a problem helping you with anything you need help with." I just nodded. "Alright, off to class."

When Jesse and I were out in the hallway, he looked down at both of our schedules. "Shit, my class is the opposite way from yours. You gonna be ok by yourself?"

"It's not a big deal, Jess. I've been alone by myself before. I can handle it." He nodded, but reached forward and kissed my forehead before walking down the hall. I turned down a different hallway and started looking for my first class. The bell had already rung, so there were few students lingering in the hallway. I continued down the hall, completely lost, looking like an idiot. As I was looking down at my schedule, I suddenly ran into what felt like a solid wall. I ended up sprawled on the floor, staring up at the giant in front of me.

"Well, I guess you've already fallen for me," Tim Riggins stood in front of me, smirking down at me. He still looked hung over, but the smirk brought a certain spark to his eye.

I glared up at him and attempted to pick up the few papers that had spilled when I had bumped into him. He leaned down and handed me the last few before he grabbed my hand and roughly pulled me up. I over corrected and landed in his arms, his hands wrapping around my elbows.

"You good there?" He drawled, smirking down at me yet again. I continued to glare at him and pulled my arms forcefully from his.

"Yeah, thanks," I moved around him and didn't stop walking until I finally reached my first class.

* * *

My four morning classes had not gone well. All of my teachers had made me stand up and introduce myself to the class, to my horror. Nobody cares about the new girl though, so they just sat through it, rolling their eyes at my embarrassed answers. However, I had met Coach and Mrs. Taylor's daughter Julie, who was very nice and offered to sit with me at lunch.

That's how I ended up in the crowded and very loud lunchroom, carrying my tray and following behind Julie as we made our way to a table. I could see a few guys sitting there and I was praying that one of them was Jesse.

"Matt, Landry," Julie said as she sat down. The boy she called Matt leaned over and pecked her on the lips quickly before smiling up at me. "This is my new friend Belle. She's the new assistant coach's daughter." Matt nodded at me and mumbled a 'hi'. His friend Landry stood up and reached out to take my tray from my hands and set it next to his on the table.

"Well, welcome to Dillon, Miss Belle. If there's anything you need at all, don't hesitate to find me," He was very loud and obnoxious but not in the footballer way that I was used to.

"Why thank you very much Mr. Landry," I smiled at him, playing along in the southern lady role that he had established. The four of us just sat talking, the boys about football, Julie and I about how often we had to listen to boys talk about football.

Suddenly, more trays were being set on the table and big, rowdy guys were sitting down, all exchanging some form of greeting with Matt.

"Alright, now who is this fine new addition to our group?" A young black guy asked, looking at me. Julie rolled her eyes, but introduced me anyways.

"Smash, this is Belle. Belle, this is Smash. He's on the football team too," Smash nodded cockily and stretched his arm over the back of my chair. I just looked at him arm, eyebrows raised, and then back up at him.

"Oh!" He raised his hands up in defense. "New girl's got spirit. I like that." He winked. I stared at Julie, silently asking if he was seriously just flirting with me. She nodded as if to say that he does that with every girl.

I nodded and turned to him. "Yeah," I leaned towards him, and he in turn leaned towards me. "I've got spirit…how bought you?" He tipped his head back and laughed loudly, drawing the attention of the entire lunchroom. I stared down at my tray, cheeks flaming. Smash couldn't leave it at that though.

"Yeah baby, I got spirit. I could show me my spirit right now," I turned even more red and looked at Julie to give me some help. She opened her mouth to tell Smash off, but never got the chance.

"Yo, Smash," Tim's voice rang out behind me. "I suggest you get the hell outta my seat." Smash just lazily looked at him before stretching out more in his chair, relaxing his arm once again over my seat.

"I'm comfortable, but thanks for asking man," Tim looked furious and set his tray down forcibly next to mine, making the table jump. Smash stood and faced him, their chests puffing out dangerously. No one was moving. The entire lunchroom was watching their exchange. I couldn't take it any more and stood, putting a hand on Tim's chest and Smash's arm.

"Seriously," I rolled my eyes at them. "What are you guys? Four?" I turned to Smash. "Just let him sit there, please." Smash glared past me at Tim before removing his tray from the table and walking to the end chair.

I looked back at Tim, who was watching me with a strange look on his face. Almost as if he couldn't figure me out. "Sit, please." I said quietly. The lunchroom was being to murmur again, most likely about me and how the 'new girl' broke up an almost fight between two football players.

* * *

The rest of the day didn't go any better. Thankfully, I had two more classes with Julie, one of which was also with Matt and Landry. I knew I would be having to stay after school for football practice and that just made the day move slower. Plus, everyone kept talking about how me, the 'new girl', had broken up a fight between two football players who absolutely hate each other's guts.

When 3:30 finally came, Julie and I made our way to the field and sat on the bleachers. The one thing that sucked about being a coach's daughter was the waiting around afterwards. Sitting there watching the cheerleaders practice and the guys practice (more like watch the cheerleaders) was torture for two girls who loved football but just didn't want to be around it all the time.

My brother fit in perfectly on the team. Although I could tell that he had heard about what had happened at lunch by the way that he tackled Smash and eyed Tim. There was no way that we weren't having a talk later.

"Saracen! What are you doing!" I looked up when I heard Coach Taylor yelling. Julie and I shared a look before returning our eyes to the football field. "Run the play, don't just stand there waiting!" I saw Matt nod shyly and wipe off his brow.

"Is your dad always so hard on him?" I questioned, looking over at her.

She nodded and sighed heavily. "Yeah. I mean he was hard on Matt before, but that was mostly because Matt took over literally right after Jason's injury. But now that we're dating, it's worse. Like ten times worse." I nodded and went back to watching the field. My brother was lining up with the other guys and I could tell they were getting ready to run whatever play Matt had just messed up on.

"Blue, 42, hut, hut!" Matt yelled. The guys slammed into each other as Matt caught the ball then immediately threw it to Smash, who caught it with ease, but didn't see Tim coming at him. Tim crashed hard into Smash. When the two came back up, Smash was taking off his helmet and getting into Tim's face.

"Don't think I won't take you down right here, right now, Riggs!" The rest of the team and the coaches were rushing over to the two of them, trying to stop the fight that was sure to happen. The cheerleaders had stopped practicing and were avidly watching what was going on.

Tim whipped his helmet off, pushing Smash away. "I'd like to see you try Williams." I shook my head as their teammates pulled the two apart. It was just like footballers to fight about everything.

"That's enough!" My daddy yelled. The fighting immediately stopped and the players all turned their attention to my dad and Coach Taylor.

Coach Taylor nodded at my dad and looked at the boys. "That was the most pathetic thing I have ever seen. I want to know exactly why you two are at each other's throats this time." Both Tim and Smash were silent. "Alright, fine. You boys get to run laps for the rest of practice. Have a fun hour."

Jesse turned to look at Tim and pat him on the shoulder. Tim just shrugged him off and walked over to the water cooler. He drank about four cups of water than angrily threw his helmet and cup on the ground. Smash was already running and the two were a whole football field apart. Something they both obviously needed to do.

* * *

An hour and fifteen minutes later, I was standing by the exit of the locker room waiting on Jesse. The door burst open and Tim came barreling out.

"Tim," I said quietly. He came to a sudden stop and just stood there, staring away from me and out onto the open field. "You ok?" He nodded sharply and then started walking again. Too fast for me to catch up. If he didn't want to talk, that was fine. I just hoped he realized that I wouldn't be so kind the next time he ignored me.

Jesse finally came out the door, hair wet from his shower and looking somewhat angry. "SO, you want to tell me what happened today?" He asked as we started walking towards the truck. I just shrugged and silently got in. "Don't avoid the subject Belle." He commanded, starting the truck and backing out. "I want to know why people were talking about you today. They said you broke up a fight. You seemed to have had a very productive first day, didn't you sis?" I glared at him.

"I don't know what happened ok? I'm just used to breaking up the fights so I did what I normally do." I shrugged again and stared out the window.

I heard Jesse sigh. "Whatever you say sis."

* * *

"So how was your first day, hon?" My mom asked as we sat at the dinner table. Jesse had already talked about his day (excluding the rumors he heard floating around school).

I looked up at my mother and smiled. "It was great." She and my father shared a look. I had never said that about a first day. It seemed to be a good surprise.

* * *

In my room, I laid on the bed listening to my iPod. It had been…an interesting day to say the least. One thing was for sure:

Life in Dillon, Texas was going to be very interesting.

* * *

Alright. That's the end of chapter one. I've already started working on chapter two so it should be up soon. Please let me know what you think. :)


	2. Tuesday and Wednesday 1

A/N: Alright, I got enough positive feedback that I decided to put this chapter up quickly for you guys. :) I hope you enjoy it a lot and feel free to ask any questions about anything.

* * *

**TUESDAY**

When I woke up, I prayed that it would be an easy day and that nothing else 'exciting' would happen. It didn't seem like a good idea to become the subject of rumor my first week at school. The first day was bad enough.

Jesse was really enjoying the fact that I was the popular news at Dillon. He was making all kinds of comments over breakfast that I could kill him for, but I don't think mom would want blood on her new kitchen floor. On the way to school, I told Jesse to just let anything that anyone said go and that it wasn't a big deal.

I don't think he got the message.

* * *

My first period was Advanced Literature and Composition, a class that Julie and I shared. We sat towards the back, giggling to ourselves about her date with Matt the previous night and how, even after being boyfriend/girlfriend for a while, he was still always stumbling over himself.

"Hey new girl!" I looked up, wondering who would be calling me out. The girl was slightly taller than my 5'6 with short blond hair and a mole in the middle of her forehead that drove me insane. I stared at quizzically as she made her way to Julie and I.

Julie obviously new what was going on because she stood up and looked the girl right in the eye. "Tyra, just leave her alone. She didn't do anything." My gaze now flew to Julie. What could I have done that this Tyra person hated me so much for?

Tyra sneered. "Yeah? Well Tim broke up with me this morning and wouldn't give me an explanation. And I think little miss priss here is responsible. All he did last night was brood over the fact that Smash 'didn't get what was coming'."

I was astonished. Tim had been dating this girl? But just yesterday I had seen him against the lockers with some stringy brunette. What kind of stuff was going on here in Dillon?

"Tim? Riggins?" I questioned softly, looking up at Tyra. She just snorted.

"Yeah," She flipped her cropped cut. "What are you? Stupid on top of being a slut?" Now that stung a little. I still wasn't completely sure why she hated me so much. Tim and I were…nothing. I had just met him.

The bell rang, not giving me or Julie the chance to retort before Tyra had stalked out of the classroom and down the hall. As Julie sat, she stared at me, obviously wondering if I was going to cry or something crazy like that. I just sat forward and stared at the white bored. This was turning into the worst day ever.

* * *

As I followed Julie to the lunchroom, I could almost hear the rumors spreading like wildfire.

"That's the new girl…did you hear about her and Tim…?"

"Tim totally broke up with Tyra for her…"

"I hear she's sleeping with Williams and Riggins…"

I'd only been at this school for two days and already my reputation was the worst it had ever been. I could only hope that the gossip would die out soon.

But the chances of that happening were like 1,000,000 to 1.

Julie and I made our way through the maze that is the cafeteria and sat with Matt and Landry again. This time, however, Smash and his friends steered clear of our table. Only Tim, Jason and a few other guys sat with us, making me feel even worse for somewhat dividing the team.

Of course, I was trying to figure out how exactly I had only been here for two days, but there was already a whole bunch of drama surrounding me. Could my life get any worse?

My answer came when Tyra and Smash entered the cafeteria together. Next to me, Tim stiffened and stared down at his food, completely ignoring them. Tyra smirked over at us and leaned down to literally make out with Smash in the middle of the lunchroom. I was disgusted but Tim was clenching his fork tightly. Despite the tension in his fist, he looked relatively calm, as if this was a normal occurrence in his relationship with the blonde.

"So," I said, bringing everyone's attention from Tim to me. "Are ya'll ready for this Friday's game?" This question got the conversation going and the incident across the lunchroom was completely forgotten. Jason caught my eye across the table and nodded at me, giving me the thanks that Tim probably wouldn't.

* * *

"You seem to be quite the peacemaker," Landry said as we sat in Pre-Calculus. I looked up from my problem and glared at him. His hands went up in defense. "I'm just saying. It's a good thing," I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah. Being the talk of the school my second day here is just the best thing in the world as the new girl." Matt laughed and Julie giggled from the table in front of us.

Landry just chuckled and nodded his head.

"But you've obviously made an impression. Riggins can't keep his eyes off of you," Matt turned around and looked at his friend, shaking his head.

"Landry, what are you talking about?" He questioned, looking confused. "Tyra and Tim _just _broke up this morning. Tim has to go through some kind of…grieving process."

I snorted and shook my head before returning to my work. I had picked a weird group of friends. "Grieving process?" Landry asked his friend. "This is Tim Riggins we're talking about. He'll just drink an entire six-pack and then make out with a rally girl. He'll be fine by this afternoon." Landry sounded like he was so sure. But if Tim's 'grieving process' was to always drink a six-pack, there was something else definitely wrong. More wrong than having a skanky girlfriend and hating his teammate.

"Does Tim drink like that a lot?" I asked, finally rejoining the conversation. Julie looked up at me.

"Tim Riggins drinks like a fish that's been left out of the water for too long," She answered, looking disgusted. The conversation went on, but I tuned most of it out. None of it seemed important.

I kept thinking about Tim. Why was he the way he was? What had happened to make him want to get away from the real world so much?

And why was I so drawn to him?

* * *

At 3:45, I was sitting on the bleachers, sans Julie who had gotten to go home with her mom, watching the football players warm up. The cheerleaders, or 'rally girls' as Landry said, were also warming up and I felt so invisible in that moment.

Once upon a time, I had been a cheerleader. It had been a great time of my life, for the first few months. I had made so many friends and we were all like sisters in a very short time. It had all changed when…

"Belle!" A brunette girl, whose name I had learned was Lyla a Lunch, was waving at me from her spot on the field. She ran over to the bleachers and I moved down towards her. "Jesse told me you used to cheer." I could tell by the smile on her face that she was up to something. I just nodded, not trusting myself to not say something mean. "Well, we're a few girls short and I thought you might like to join the team. It's really fun." She made a slight puppy-dog face. "Please."

As much as I didn't think me being a cheerleader again would be such a wonderful idea, I knew that my parents and brother were constantly worried about me and it might be a good thing if I could help them to not worry so much.

"When do I have to audition?" At this, Lyla shrieked and jumped up and down, coming onto the bleachers and pulling me back down to the field with her.

"Don't worry about that. How about you go change into a pair of my shorts and then you can just learn and show up what you've got?" As we made our way to the locker room, I could see my brother's eyes following us. He looked happy, and that was exactly what I wanted.

* * *

I had changed and was standing at the door of the locker room nervously. It had been a long time since I'd worn anything this short and I wasn't sure how everyone was going to react. I took two deep breaths and let them out slowly before pushing the door open and walking out towards the field.

I caught Jesse's eye and nodded as if to tell him I was ok and that this needed to happen anyway. MY daddy watching from his position on the sidelines as the guys and girls quit practicing.

"Damn," I caught Smash's whisper as I walked past.

I knew they were all staring. Staring at the lines that marked my legs. At the criss-cross design they made where they met. The marring of my legs was one thing I had never shown anyone but the police, the doctors and my own family. There was only one other person that knew about them and he…would never get to see them again.

"Alright," I heard Coach Taylor say. "Get back to practicing boys. That last play was horse crap." Practicing resumed all around me and I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding in. When I reached Lyla, she took my hand, gave it a light squeeze and walked up to the front of the squad.

"Ladies, Belle here is going to practice with us. Let's do some basic cheers so that she can get back in the groove before we move on," I stood in the back and watched the cheer one time before joining in.

I learned seven new cheers that afternoon and I remembered what it felt like to part of a team.

* * *

As I waited for Jesse outside the locker room for the second time that week, I watched the team shuffle past me without a glance back. Daddy or Jesse must have told them that they were to be wary of me right now. Not that it would have mattered. I was feeling pretty good about myself and nothing was going to stop that.

Tim walked out of the locker room, but instead of passing by me, he stopped right in front of me. "Hey," He said, his voice gravelly and rough, as if he hadn't used it all day.

"Hey," I said back, waiting for him to continue. We stood there for a second before he spoke again.

"So, how are you enjoying Dillon so far?" His questions startled me. I sincerely expected him to ask about the scars. But I figured he knew that and decided against questioning me just yet.

I looked down at my feet, then back up. "It's been great. Dillon seems like a wonderful place to live. Plus, I've made a few friends." I was hoping he caught the meaning that he was included in that list.

He nodded and looked past me at the locker room door, watching for my brother I'm sure. "Yeah, well," He rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully. "I heard about what Tyra said this morning and I wanted to say 'I'm sorry'. If I could get her to take it back, I would." I just watched him, brows furrowed.

"What Tyra said, that wasn't your fault Tim. She's just…jealous. Not that I can understand why," Tim stiffened again and nodded sharply. He mumbled a goodbye and walked off. It was then that I noticed my brother standing in the doorway watching me intently. "What?" I almost snapped.

"Nothing," He grinned. "Absolutely nothing."

* * *

**WEDNESDAY**

Today was my first day of cheerleading practice at Dillon High. Lyla told me that she had talked to the girls, and they were all (for the most part) ecstatic to hear that I would be joining them this season. The one person who was more excited than anyone, however, was my mother. When she found out that not only had I decided to join the squad, but that I had revealed the marks on my legs to my new friends, that she had to leave the room to be able to not burst out crying in front of me. Daddy just nodded and kissed my forehead. They were happy that everything was finally returned to normal.

And in all truth, so was I.

* * *

When I got to school, it seemed that most people were still talking about Tim and I. Not that there was anything to talk about. I had only been here three days. And I wasn't a slut. Like some people I know…(that was mean) but whatever. Walking down the hallway wasn't so bad. No one could do anything. I was hanging out with the footballers and no one would dare cross one of them. The chances of getting your head ripped off were just too much.

As the first bell rang, Julie and I made our way to History while the guys left to do their own thing. Without the boys, I felt a lot more vulnerable. More people stared, more people whispered. I was just glad that I had the Coach's daughter, otherwise I might have been mauled or something.

History was, as usual, pretty boring. Other than the looks I was getting, nothing much else happened. The whispers were ignored and no one said anything directly to me. And although I didn't like the idea of being the source of gossip, I was better off not knowing exactly what everyone was saying.

I really didn't feel like going to lunch, so I told Julie that I had homework and needed to study. She stared at me, knowing it wasn't true, but nodded all the same. I headed towards to library, ignoring the growling of my stomach and pulled out my Calculus book to do the next section of homework.

"Well look who it is," I almost groaned aloud at the voice. Smash sat down next to me, smirking wildly. "What's going to on new girl?" I attempted to ignore him, but he obviously wasn't going to let me get away with it. "Aww, don't be like that. I'm just looking for some of that attention that you've been giving Riggs."

I rolled my eyes and glanced up at him. "Just go away Smash," I seethed, not wanting to listen to his bull right now.

"But sweetheart, I came all the way to the library just to see you," Smash reached out and pushed my brown hair off my shoulder, tucking it behind me eye.

"I'm surprised you could find the library," I said straight to his face. His smirk fell and his nostrils flared. I just smiled and went back to my math. I yelped when Smash grabbed my wrist roughly and pulled me towards him.

"I don't care if you're Coach Jackson's kid and I don't care who the hell your brother is or that Tim Riggins is showing an interest in you. When I talk to you, you'll listen and you won't mouth off. You got that?" I refused to nod or show any sign that I was going to listen to his threat, which just made him hold my wrist tighter. "You better watch yourself, new girl," He released me, almost throwing me back into my chair and stalked from the library.

My wrist was red and I knew it would bruise, something I was not looking forward to having to explain to Jesse.

* * *

In the locker room before cheer practice, I was wrapping the ribbon that would normally go in my hair around the fingerprint bruise marks on my wrist. I was hoping that it would pass off as a bracelet and no one would be the wiser. Lyla came up to me and grabbed my other hand and we walked out onto the field.

Practice was boring. I knew all of the cheers and it wasn't difficult for me to get into the action. Once we were finished, I joined Julie on the bleachers and we watched the rest of football practice. The guys looked exhausted and from what I could hear of my dad's and Coach Taylor's yelling, they still weren't done.

"Man, it's almost like being in the army or something," I sighed, looking over at Julie. She nodded and watched her dad, as if she knew exactly what I was talking about. For the next thirty minutes, we watched the boys run play after play and the exhaustion become more evident in their bodies. Finally, Coach Taylor blew his whistle.

"Go shower up and then get home," The guys started making their way off the field. "And tomorrow, I don't want to see another sorry ass practice like this one was." Julie and I shared an eye roll as we packed up out stuff. We exchanged a goodbye as I made my way over to the locker room.

* * *

I sat outside the locker room, unwrapping and rewrapping the ribbon around my wrist. The bruises were a dark purple, contrasting against my tan skin. I watched them disappear each time I wound the blue ribbon around my arm again and again. It wasn't until an arm reached out and grasped mine lightly that I noticed my brother squatting next to me.

"What the hell happened Belle?" He demanded in a harsh whisper. I looked down at the ground, completely avoiding eye contact. Jesse touched my forehead, stroking the hair out of my face. "What happened?" His whisper was soothing now as he brought my eyes up to his.

The one thing about my brother that I always found so contradictory to his footballer persona was his ability to be so compassionate and kind. "Nothing." I mumbled, rewrapping the ribbon and standing up. Jesse obviously wasn't buying it, but he kept his opinion to himself and followed me out to the car.

"Don't tell me now," He said, climbing into the car. "But I will find out sooner or later." With that, he pulled out of the parking lot and took us home.

* * *

I groaned and rolled over, glaring at the clock by my bed that showed 1:00 am. Jesse's threat had gotten to me and I just couldn't sleep. Finally, I rolled out of bed and slowly opened my bedroom door. The floorboards creaked as I made my way down the hall to Jesse's room.

When I opened the door, I could see my brother's bulky body tangled in the sheets. I walked over and placed my hand on his shoulder. "Jesse," I whispered, shaking him slightly. He only groaned in response and tried to nudge my hand off of him. "Jesse," I said louder, hoping to get him to wake up. He finally rolled over and sat up, rubbing his hand over his face.

"Belle? What are you doing in here?" He questioned sleepily, squinting up at me before checking the time.

"It was Smash," I said, sitting on the edge of his bed.

Jesse looked confused and just shook his head as if to clear it of the sleep. I held up my hand and showed him the bruises again.

"It was Smash,"

That night, for the first time in one year, I spent the night in my brother's room and buried my face in his pillow.

* * *

Alright, so let me know exactly what you all think, just no flames please. Review make Tim Riggins smile. :) And me too.


	3. Thursday 1

A/N: Third chapter! Sorry it took so long! I hope you guys enjoy it :)

* * *

**THURSDAY**

Waking up in my brother's bed for the first time in months was the most comforting thing about this entire week. I could here the shower in the bathroom running, so I just laid there and tried to fall asleep again. That didn't happen and I was forced to wake up when my brother grabbed the blankets and ripped them off me. I groaned and looked up at him, glaring with all my might.

"I already let you sleep through your first class. Now get up," He said before leaving the room. I glanced at the clock on the nightstand and it did, in fact, read 10:00. First period always ended at 9:30. I groaned again and practically rolled off the bed, heading to my room to shower and get ready.

* * *

It was always easy to come into school late when you were a coach's kid. No one ever cared if the note you had was real or if you actually had an excuse. They just gave you a pass and let you go. It was definitely something I loved.

As I made my way to my second period I could just imagine what Julie was going to say. First, she would ask me why I was late. Then she would question me about the bruises on my wrist that I had, unfortunately, forgotten to wrap with something. And, of course, by lunch, Matt and Landry would both know about it. Which also meant that the whole school would know by the time the last bell rang.

My teacher took the note and nodded, so I made my way to my seat next to a very curious looking Julie. I spared her a look that I would explain everything later. The rest of the class was so boring and I kind of wished that Jesse hadn't woken me up at all. It would have been a blessing to just have a day off.

"Ok, so why were you late today?" Julie asked, as I predicted, once the bell had rung.

"I just overslept. Nothing too crazy," I explained, making my way into the pandemonium that is the hallway. We worked our way to the end of the hallway and separated, promising to meet in the lunchroom fourth period. The next class passed by with absolutely nothing exciting, giving me a break as I wrote Julie a note about what exactly had happened and how there was no way she could tell Matt, or anyone for that matter. I was going to do everything possible to make sure what had happened yesterday didn't make its way around school.

* * *

As Julie and I sat down with Matt and Landry, I pulled my coat sleeve down over my right wrist. Julie gave me a look and then opened the note I had given her, shooing Matt away when he attempted to read it over her shoulder. Landry laughed as a brooding Matt refocused his attention on his watery mashed potatoes.

Tim, my brother, Jason and Lyla all sat down, Jason wondering what Landry was finding so funny. When Landry explained, Jason just patted Matt on the back and gave him a soothing nod. Guys with girlfriends and their problems.

Jesse looked at me from his position across the table as if to check how I was. I just nodded and looked back over at Lyla and Jason, who were feeding each other French fries…I looked away, only to find Tim glancing away after looking at me.

"So," Lyla said, sipping her water. "Belle. Are you and Jesse coming to the party at Smash's house after the game on Saturday?" Jesse just glanced at me and then shook his head.

"I don't know if we will yet. You know how Mom's are." He chuckled. "She may just make us stay home." Most everyone at the table nodded, excluding Tim and Matt. I would be sure to ask Julie about that later.

The one good thing that happened at lunch was that nobody (sans Julie and my brother, who both already knew) noticed the fact that I kept pulling my jacket sleeve down over my wrist in order to hide my bruises. The guys talked about the football and bumped fists when the upcoming game was mentioned and half the lunchroom shouted that we were going to crush the Wolves. Julie, Lyla and I played along, but all shared secret looks to communicate how everything always went right back to football.

When the bell rang, Julie, Matt, Landry and I grabbed our stuff and got up, heading to our Calculus class. As I walked out the cafeteria doors, someone called my name and reached out for my arm. I waved my friends on before turning back to look at Tim, who was leaning on the wall.

"What do you need, Tim?" I tried not too sound too harsh, but if Tim Riggins made me late just because he wanted to and knew he could, I might just kill him.

Tim glanced down the hallway before speaking. "What did you do to your arm?" I looked shocked for a split second before schooling my features.

"What are you talking about?" Tim just chuckled at my question, knowing very well that I knew exactly what he was talking about. He held out his hand, palm up, asking me to place my hand in his. I conceded, rolling my eyes. Tim's protectiveness was almost worse than my brother's.

He pulled my sleeve up and carefully rolled my wrist in his hands, looking at the bruises closely. The furrow in his brow increased as he inspected them closely. "You gonna tell anyone the truth about what happened?" He questioned, pulling the sleeve back down and letting go of me.

I opened my mouth, but had nothing to say. Tim just stared at me, silently prompting me to say something. So I did. "Why do you care anyway, Riggins?" I demanded, glaring harshly at him. Suddenly, Tim didn't look as nice as he had a second ago.

"You're right," He said calmly, although I could tell he was anything but. "Why do I care?" Tim shoved past me and made his way down the hall. Just before he turned down the next hall, he turned back and stomped towards me. "All I'm trying to do is be nice, and you ask me why I care? You're Coach Jackson's kid, Jesse's little sister and a good friend to the guys on the team. Those are the only reasons why I care." With that he finally left, stopping to punch a locker on his way.

"Um," I heard behind me. I whirled around to see Mrs. Taylor standing there. "I'm mighty confused as to what exactly just happened here, Belle." She came towards me and put her arm around my shoulders. "I think you should come with me."

I did as she wanted and let her lead me down the hall, towards her office. As I sat down in the plastic chair, she shut the door and sat in front of me. "Now, I'd really like to know why Tim Riggins just yelled at you in the middle of the school hallway. And also, why you both weren't in class. But I can let both of those go. Right now, I am not Mrs. Taylor. I am your friend." She held up her hands. "Talk." I just stared at Mrs. Taylor. Did she really expect for me to talk to her like she wasn't a guidance counselor? It was too hard to imagine.

"I'm sorry we weren't in class, ma'am. Tim said he wanted to talk to me, so that's what we were doing." I just shrugged, hoping that would get her off my back.

"It looked, and sounded, a little bit more like yelling, Belle." She shook her head and looked at me. "I just want to know what's going on. No one but you and I will ever know that you told me this." Again, I just stared at her. There was no way I was pouring my heart out to Mrs. Taylor, no matter how nice she was. "Alright. Then I'll just have to call Tim in here and bully it out of him." I knew the threat when I heard it and refused to be phased. She picked up the phone and pressed a button. "Audrey, would you please call Tim Riggins into my office? Thank you."

I sat there, not knowing exactly what to do. Tim was not going to be happy when he got to the office and I just didn't want to stick around to see that. "May I leave now?" Mrs. Taylor smiled, but shook her head.

"No, darling. I need both you and Tim to tell me about this and neither of you are leaving until you do." I slumped down in my seat when a knock on the door forced Mrs. Taylor out of her chair. She opened the door and ushered Tim in. "Come on in, honey and take a seat right next to Belle there."

I refused to look up as Tim sat, but I could feel him looking right at me. He cleared his throat when Mrs. Taylor didn't start talking. "What did you need me in here for ma'am?" He questioned, looking from her back at me.

"Well Tim, I got to witness part of you and Belle's conversation and I just wanted to know why exactly you found it necessary to tell at her." She gazed at him, waiting for his answer. Tim crossed his arms over his chest and looked over at me.

"Cause Belle wouldn't tell me what happened to her wrist." My eyes snapped up and met Tim's in a glare that could kill. He smirked slightly but Mrs. Taylor interrupted our staring contest.

"What happened to your wrist, sweetheart?" She asked me soothingly. I pulled my sleeves down more and averted my gaze.

"I just hit it on my door." I lied, fiddling with the end of my sleeve. Beside me, Tim snorted. "Shut up Riggins. It's not like you have any idea what happened." He glared at me and then looked back at Mrs. Taylor.

Leaning forward, he gave her a somewhat pleading look. "Can't you make her say what happened Mrs. Taylor?" He asked quietly, almost pretending that I wasn't there.

"I can't make Belle do anything she doesn't want to do, Tim." Mrs. Taylor looked at me. "Especially not just because you want to beat someone's face in. Which I can tell you do. I am married to a football coach Tim Riggins and I know all the tricks." Tim looked uncomfortable, but nodded as he sat back again. "Alright. Now I'd like you to apologize to Belle."

Tim looked shocked, as if she'd asked him to strip right then and there (which would be ok with me). "What? She's keeping a secret for someone who hurt her. I refuse to apologize for caring." He almost growled.

"Caring and antagonizing are two completely different things, Tim. Now apologize." It was no longer a request, but now a demand. I focused on my shoes, not wanting to be a part of this. "Tim Riggins, if you don't apologize I will just have to have a conversation with the Coach."

Tim didn't look too phased by the threat, but I knew that if Mrs. Taylor wanted Tim Riggins to do 50 extra wind sprints, he would be doing 50 extra wind sprints. He glanced at her and then at me before sighing loudly. "I'm sorry that I yelled."

He didn't sound sorry, but I really just didn't want to be in the room anymore, so I nodded in his general direction.

"Alright," Mrs. Taylor said, clapping her hands. "Now, Mr. Riggins, please escort our Ms. Jackson to class. I don't want to see either of you in my office again. Have a nice day."

Tim held the door open for me as we exited her office. I tried to out-walk him, but being a fullback, Tim's legs could carry him a lot further than mine. I stopped abruptly and turned to him. "You don't have to walk me back. I'll be fine on my own." I turned back to stalk off when he grabbed my arm. "What is your problem?" I seethed, getting up in his face.

"My problem is that someone hurt you and you're going to let them get away with it." Tim said harshly, keeping a tight grip on my arm.

"The only person hurting me is you," I wrestled my arm in his grasp, but he refused to let go. "Let go, Tim." I said calmly, staring up at him. He finally released, mumbling an apology. "Look, Tim," I sighed. "What happened; it's done, it's over. My brother knows and that's all that matters."

With that, I left Tim standing in the middle of the hallway.

* * *

Unbeknownst to me at the time, my comment about Jesse knowing what had happened to my wrist sent Tim on a mission. He rushed out of his last class of the day and was very early for football practice. Once he had changed, he found Jesse and asked to talk to him in private.

"Who did that to your sister?" Tim asked gruffly as they walked to the end of the field. Jesse contemplated whether or not Tim should know.

"Dude, you tell her I told you this," He poked Tim's chest. "And I will personally rip your nuts off and force-feed them to you."

Tim nodded and waited for Jesse to reveal the truth.

"It was Smash."

* * *

As I sat on the bleachers to watch practice, I noticed Tim and Jesse off the side a bit, talking seriously about something. Tim said something to Jesse, who burst out into wild laughter and clapped Tim's shoulder. Coach Taylor blew his whistle and the two were forced to get ready for the play. Matt threw the ball to Smash, who made it ten yards before Tim mowed him into the ground.

Throughout the practice, Tim and my brother would practically run over Smash with their bodies. By the time the final whistle was blown, Smash looked like he was in a lot of pain. Jesse put his arm over Smash's shoulder, causing him to wince, and whispered something in his ear.

Although Smash looked angry as hell, he nodded and looked up towards me. I glared over at Jesse and Tim, knowing exactly what was going on.

* * *

I sat outside the locker room, waiting on my brother and Tim to both show their faces to me. They were obviously stalling because most of the guys had gone and were probably already at home. Finally, the door opened and they both stepped out. Jesse looked apprehensive while Tim just looked downright pleased.

"Don't you dare smirk like that, Tim Riggins," He continued to do so. "What you two did was stupid. How dare you both think you can take charge like that just because you're men."

They both just stood there and waited for their scolding to be over. I watched them for a moment before rushing forward and enveloping Jesse and then Tim in my arms. Jesse laughed and crushed me, dropping a kiss on my hair while Tim just stiffened and then returned the hug awkwardly. I stretched to plant a kiss on his cheek and then retreated, my cheeks heating at what I had done.

"Thanks," I said simply before grabbing my bag and Jesse's arm and rushing to the car. When I looked back, Tim was still standing there, watching me go with a slight smile on his face.

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed it! The new chapter will be up no later than Friday! Reviews make Tim all hot and sweaty and he has to take off his shirt :)


	4. Friday 1

A/N: Here's a present guys. Christmas has come early. I hope you guys enjoy.

* * *

**FRIDAY**

Today was the day. The first big game of the season and the first big game daddy would be coaching during. Jesse and I walked out of the house dressed like school spirit on crack, me in my cheerleading uniform with ribbons in my hair and Jesse in his football jersey and letter jacket, ready to kick wolf butt.

In Texas, football is everything. The only night that is actually important to us is Friday. Nothing beats big, buff guys knocking heads and talking trash.

Last night, after my embarrassment of kissing Tim on the cheek, Lyla had called and said I had been 'given' football player. When I asked what the heck she was talking about, she explained that the cheerleaders and rally girls have a tradition on Fridays of baking something good for certain football players. When I asked exactly whom I got, she went into a long-winded explanation of how Jason ad convinced her to give Jesse to some girl named Beth and reassign someone new to Tim. Who was that someone new? Oh, yeah, me.

I carried the bag of cookies I had made through the hall. Lyla had told me that most of the time, the girls brought Tim beer before the game, but I refused to condone his habit and just decided to make some sweet chocolate chunk cookies. If Tim wanted to get drunk before the game, he could do it without my help.

I saw Tim leaning against his locker, surrounded by rally girls and a few cheerleaders. I pushed a little to get through the crowd and pushed the bag into Tim's hands before walking away.

"Belle," I cringed and turned to face him. He smirked as he held the bag up and sniffed inside. "These smell good." I only nodded, choosing to ignore the slight innuendo in his voice. "Lyla didn't tell me that I'd gotten reassigned. Lucky me,"

I rolled my eyes and stared at him, arms crossed over my chest. "Well, I hope you enjoy them. I'll see you at lunch." I turned away and continued towards my first class.

"See you then Belle," Tim yelled out. I frowned and tried to ignore the jealous looks I was getting. So Tim Riggins had talked to me. Big whoop.

* * *

The day had been very uneventful. Except for the random yelling in the hall, "Clear eyes! Full hearts!" to which someone would return "Can't lose!"

I went to lunch with Julie and sat with her at the football/cheerleader table (something she rolled her eyes about). The lunchroom was a buzz with excitement and every once in a while, someone would come over to tell the guys good luck and to play their hardest. Tim was still chomping on the cookies I had given him, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Hey Belle," Tim, Jesse and I all stiffened as I turned to face Smash. "Do you think we could talk for a second?" MY brow furrowed, but Tim and Jesse just nodded at each other and then at Smash.

"Sure," I followed him over to a les crowded area and stood, waiting.

Smash cleared his throat and glanced behind me at my table, where I knew most of the table was watching us. "I just, uh, I wanted to say, um, I'm sorry for hurting you the other day and for being so rude." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It was wrong of me to do."

I stared at him for a moment before nodding and sticking out my hand. "It's fine." He smiled and shook my hand, giving me a lopsided smile before going back to his table. As I returned back to my spot next to Tim, everyone at the table was watching me. I just ate my food and ignored their stares until they started up their conversations again.

* * *

Julie and I made our way to Calculus with Matt and Landry. When she told them they had to walk ahead of us, Matt looked like a lost puppy and Landry just shrugged. "Ok," she started once they were out of earshot. "What was that with Smash in the lunchroom? And how the heck did you become Tim's cheerleader?"

"First off, I am NOT Tim Riggins's cheerleader. Second, the thing with Smash was him just apologizing for what happened the other day. I'm pretty sure Tim and my brother got to him yesterday at practice." Julie nodded and slowly smiled. "What?" She shook her head and walked up next to Matt. "Julie Taylor, you better tell me what you're thinking."

Julie avoided telling me what had been on her mind for the rest of the day. I continuously commanded that she tell me, but she just shook her and head and carried on smiling like a madwoman. When I questioned about when she would tell me, she answered:

"After the game. At the party."

I rolled my eyes and said goodbye, going to join Lyla in getting ready for the pep rally. The boys were all lining up and were listening to Smash.

"And we're going to go out there and kill those dumbass Wolves because we are the Dillon Panthers and there ain't nobody like us!" The guys cheered and us girls joined in, waving our pom-poms. "Clear eyes! Full hearts!"

"Can't lose."

* * *

Lyla led us girls out onto the field, where we performed a few cheers and one dance routine. Finally, Coach Taylor and the guys were welcomed out with thunderous applause and Coach Taylor got to say a few words.

"We're ready to go out there tonight and lead this great town to another victory over the Wolves. These boys have been working hard and I know they're going to make us all proud." The team cheered and hooted while Smash took the mic and got us all pumped up.

"CLEAR EYES! FULL HEARTS!"

The entire field answered back.

"CAN"T LOSE."

When the boys ran out onto the field, I could tell they were all pumped. The guys on the Wolves team were huge and clearly out-weighed some of our biggest players. It was going to be a long and grueling game for the Dillon Panthers.

"There's only one thing that could keep the Panthers from taking this game and that is size." The announcer said. "The biggest guy on the team can't weigh more than 240. The Wolves have guys on their team that weigh more than three of the Panther quarterback, Matt Saracen."

I looked over at the guys from where the team was sitting and could tell that Matt was kind of freaking out. The guys from the other team could put him out of this game if they wanted to and he could do nothing to stop them. But Matt obviously wasn't thinking about Tim, Jesse and Smash. They would never let any of those players touch Matt if they could. Despite Jason's injury, you could tell that this team was still a family, even with a new leader there.

I closed my eyes and sent out a prayer for Matt Saracen to have courage and strength during this game.

In the third quarter, we were down by one touchdown. Every time Matt had the ball, it became harder and harder for him to throw it. One of the Wolves was always there to tackle him. Poor Matt was taking a bruising. We finally had the ball back after another score by the other team and you could feel the tension in the stadium.

"Red, 22, hut," Matt called out. The next ten seconds were a lot of tackling and grunting until Matt threw the ball. Down the field, Tim caught it and went running. Just as he made the touchdown, a big guy came out of no one and plowed him into the ground. Tim held onto the ball, but went down hard. The Panther side cheered and went crazy, happy to finally see another score for Dillon.

"Big Timmy Riggins scores for the Panthers!" We were all still cheering. The big guy, number 4, finally got up and off Tim. We all waited for Tim to get up, but he remained still, not even looking like he was breathing. The stadium went quiet as Smash and the other players made their way to him. On the sidelines, Coach Taylor, Daddy and Jason were all looking concerned, watching the scene closely. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Tim Riggins is down and he doesn't look like he's getting up." I closed my eyes tightly and starting praying. I felt Lyla grab my hand and we just stood there. "Oh, wait," My eyes flew open. "Riggins is being helped up by teammates Jesse Jackson and Matt Saracen." Tim was walking on both feet, but was holding tightly to Jesse and Matt.

As they brought him over to the benches on the sideline, I couldn't help but start moving that way. Coach Taylor was watching over as Tim was helped out of his jersey and pads by a medic.

"Alright, now try to lift your arms up for me son," the medic said, pressing on Tim's chest. Tim attempted to lift them, but about ¾ of the way up, they dropped uselessly at his sides. He seemed winded and was really red in the face. "Ok, I think we've got ourselves a couple of cracked and bruised ribs, Coach." The medic said to Coach Taylor, who rubbed his face and nodded. "He's going to have to get them wrapped and sit out for the rest of the game. It'd really be best if he could get to a doctor tonight."

Tim shook his head and leaned down, holding his mid-section tightly. "No. I gotta play." We all just stared at Tim. He looked pleadingly at Coach, who looked down.

"Tim, you can't play." Coach Taylor said sadly. "I'm sorry, son." Tim's head hung low and he just watched the ground. "Mercer. Get in the game." Some guy a little smaller than Tim got up and put on his helmet. Jesse and Matt both headed back over the huddle, but not without glancing at Tim and then each other.

I walked over to Tim and stood behind him. Coach Taylor nodded at me before going back to the game. Tim hadn't moved, so I tentatively reached out and laid my hand on his shoulder. His head turned, as best as it could considering he couldn't move his torso and he looked at me. He reached up, grabbed my hand with his and helped maneuver me to sit beside him. Once I was there, he grabbed me and buried his face in my neck. I saw my father glance over and do a double take raise his eyebrows at my current position.

During the beginning of the fourth quarter, Tim finally let me go and sat there, watching the game play out. We were tied with the other team and you could tell Coach Taylor was impatient to get some good plays in before the game ended.

With one minute left, Coach Taylor called Matt over and told him a new play. Matt looked confused, but nodded anyway. As the guys lined up, Jesse and Smash took both ends of the line.

"And Saracen has the ball. He passes off to Jackson, who passes to Williams…no wait, Saracen still has the ball. He's running, 30 yards, 40 yards, TOUCHDOWN! Matt Saracen has essentially won this game for the Dillon Panthers!" The announcer was going on. The game still had 25 seconds left, enough time for the Wolves to score if they really wanted to. Tim and I watched as the guys lined up once again. This time, the Wolves had the ball and they were ready to do anything to make sure we didn't win this game.

Once the quarterback had thrown the ball, Smash and Jesse were off, trying to catch the guy running. Smash jumped and caught him, 10 yards before the in-zone. The Panther side went crazy as the clock reached zero. I smiled happily and glanced at Tim, who was looking at me in a way I couldn't describe.

* * *

Later that night, we were celebrating our win at Smash's house. Rap music was pumping inside and I could see my brother threw the crowd flirting with some rally girl. Lyla, Jason, Matt, Julie, Landry and I were all hanging out in corner of the yard, just enjoying ourselves.

Tim had been taken to the hospital (more like forced) by Coach and Mrs. Taylor. He was still upset about not being able to be a part of the last few minute of the game, but it was defiantly something he would get over. I had asked Jason if Tim was going to be at the party, something that he and Lyla shared a look about, but he shrugged and gave no real reply.

I had never been a big drinker and I kind of hated parties, so the night was turning on the be boring for the most part. Julie and I were both rolling our eyes at Smash and his friends, who were all already horribly drunk and would probably have massive hangovers in the morning.

"Riggs!" I heard someone shout out. I turned and saw Tim making his way through the yard, a rally girl under eat arm. I glared and turned away, refusing to acknowledge that I had seen him.

"What's up Tim?" Jason questioned his friend once he had made it to us. "How're the ribs?"

Tim shrugged, looking all badass and annoying the crap out of me. "Fine. It definitely wasn't as bad as they made it out to be." The rally girls by his sides rubbed his arms soothingly, and I had to hold back a snort. Tim was slowly nursing a bottle of beer and I knew it was going to be a long night.

I stood up and looked down at Julie. "I'll see you later, ok?" She gave me a confused nod and I walked away, heading inside to find something strong to drink.

* * *

I was about to chug down my sixth tequila shot when another hand reached out and took it from me.

"Hey, that's mine," I whined, glaring up at Tim, who looked surprisingly sober. "Give it back." He shook his head and threw the tequila into the sink. "You're a jerk," I slurred, increasing my glare.

"Yeah, well I can live with that, darling," He reached for my hand and pulled me up from my stool, causing me to bump right into him. "Let's get you out of here and sober as fast as possible."

He started leading me out of the house, but I didn't want to go, so I fought. A lot. Finally, he just swung me into his arms, something that made him wince, and walked out to his truck.

"Tim Riggins, you pull this truck over right now," I demanded drunkenly. He shook his head again. "Tim! Pull over," Nothing this time. Suddenly, I felt bile rise in my throat and I grabbed Tim's arm. "Pull over, Tim." He saw the look on my face and swung the truck over to the side of the road. I pushed the door open quickly and spewed all the tequila I had had right there on the main road out of Dillon.

Tim rubbed my back soothingly and helped me sit back up in the car. He started driving again, this time with a bit of slow music in the background and I couldn't help but fall asleep.

One thing went through my mind as I passed out:

Was I falling for Tim Riggins?

* * *

A/N: Well I left you with a cliffy, but I will be doing Saturday and Sunday, so be ready. I hope it was enjoyable and I didn't mess up any of the football stuff up to bad. That was my first football scene ever. Reviews make Tim Riggins want to make out right then and there.


	5. Saturday and Sunday 1

A/N: Hey guys! All right. Here is the chapter for Saturday and Sunday. I know it's short, but without school, the weekend is pretty boring. Enjoy!

* * *

**SATURDAY**

I groaned and rolled over in bed as the sun shined through my window. Two seconds later, I remembered that there were blinds in my room and I never got sun in the morning. My head pounded and spun as I jerked to a sitting position. Glancing around the messy room, I could tell I wasn't anywhere near being at my house.

"What the hell?" I muttered, getting out of the bed slowly in case my stomach decided to revolt. I made my way into the hall, pushing the door open slowly. From what I could tell, the entire house was just as messy; if not messier than the room I had awoken in.

From the kitchen, I could hear country music and someone singing along quite badly. I lifted my hand to shield my eyes from the light as I walked out into the living room.

"Well morning sugar," The bad singing voice from the kitchen said. I turned and looked into the eyes of Billy Riggins. "How did little Timmy get you into his bed?"

My mouth dropped open and my eyes were wide. I looked down at my self and was relieved to find I was wearing the close I had been wearing last night. "Where is Tim, Billy?" He chuckled and went back to cooking.

"He went to the market to get you some aspirin and something to eat," The rumbling of a truck came down the street. Tim's truck stopped outside and the door slammed. "Little bro! Your friend's up,"

Tim came inside, shrugging off his jacket. "Yeah," He said, looking at me. "I can see that." He held out a bag that was in his hand out to me. I just stared at him.

"How did I get here, Tim?" I asked quietly, hoping Billy wouldn't be eavesdropping on our conversation. Tim sighed and motioned past me towards his room. We both made our way there.

In his room, Tim sat on the bed and ran his hands through his hair. In the doorway, I stood, waiting for what would happen, too nervous to do anything but stare down at me feet. "Come on and sit down, Belle," I nodded and sat as far away from his as possible on the bed. "You passed out and I wasn't going to take you home, so I brought you here. I figured there would be less gossip if no one else saw you."

Nodding my head, I finally looked up at him. "Thanks," His eyes caught mine and we just looked at each other for moment. Tim slowly started to lean forward towards me. Unconsciously, I did the same until our noses were almost touching. I was panting heavily, my eyes staying locked on Tim's beautiful hazel ones.

"Belle," He whispered, looking at me cautiously. "I…"

"Belle!" The yell broke us out of our stupor and we jerked apart. "Where is she Billy?" I heard Jesse ask from the living room. I didn't catch Billy's response as Tim got up and moved almost all the way across the room, leaning against his desk.

Jesse burst into Tim's room, catching Tim's eye before kneeling in front of me. "Sis, you have no idea how mad I am at you right now." I cast my eyes down, not wanting to meet his gaze. He sighed heavily. "But I'm happy you're ok. You are ok, right?"

I smiled slightly and looked up at him. "Yeah. Tim took real good care of me." At the mention of the longhaired boy, Jesse looked up at him and gave a man nod, which Tim returned.

"Ok," Jesse stood up and grabbed my hand, pulling me up with him. "Mom and Dad think you slept at Lyla's, so make up some cute, girly stuff that ya'll did last night. Say you were having pillow fights and doing each other's toenails, I don't care. Just think of some stuff." I giggled quietly and nodded. I shared a look with Tim, and then gazed up at Jesse. I motioned with my head towards the door and he seemed to get the picture. "I'll meet you in the living room."

Once we were alone, Tim and I just stood in silence. I finally cleared my throat and walked over to him. "Tim…" My throat went dry. His eyes met mine and then he bobbed his head in understanding. A smile stretched on my face and I reached out to wrap my arms around his neck. We stood there for a moment, just holding on. Tim had his face buried in my neck and I had mine buried in his. Reluctantly, we let go of each other before I made my way out of his room and down the hall.

* * *

In the truck, Jesse and I didn't say much. He quietly sang along with the country song on the radio as I stared out at the passing scenery. When he cleared his throat, I looked over at him, eyebrows raised.

"So," He stopped and kept his eyes forward on the road.

"So," I mimicked, which made him shoot me a playful glare before his eyes returned to watching the road. "What Jesse? Just spit it out." He nodded and then glanced sideways at me.

"Do you like Tim?" I bit my lip and played with my hands nervously. "You do." I could hear the smile in his voice. "Riggins and Belle sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G," I reached over and smacked him on the head.

"Shut up," We both burst out laughing and then sang along loudly with the radio.

* * *

Despite my slight hangover, the day was ok. I had told Mama that Lyla and I had spent most of the night talking about girly stuff (when she asked about what, I said Jason) and had done very little else.

The entire afternoon, I stayed in my room, doing some of my math homework, but mostly just thinking. Deep down, I knew that I really did like Tim Riggins, but from what I had heard about him, did I really want to like Tim. It just seemed like a bad idea. Besides the fact that Tyra might just kill me, although she really had no claim on him anymore.

Tim just seemed like the brooding bad boy and I didn't know if I was ready for that. But the one thing I did know was that, around Tim, I let go. My past was gone and I didn't have to think about it. Nagging at the back of my mind, I knew I needed to tell Tim about my past if anything was going to happen between us.

Who was I kidding though? Tim could have any girl he wanted. Why would he choose me?

* * *

**SUNDAY**

As usual in Texas, we got up early to go to church. The preacher did he thing and talked all about the coming game on Friday. He prayed that the Lord would protect our boys and help them to be champions, something I found odd. If God wanted us to win the game, we would.

After church, we went out to eat at Applebee's with the Taylor family and Matt. Julie, Mrs. Taylor, Mama and I ended up sitting at one end of the table while the men sat at the other and talked about football. We all shared a few looks at being ignored, but let it go.

"You'd think Sunday could be considered the day of rest, even for football," Mama said, making all of us girls laugh. Daddy and Coach Taylor shared a look before both shaking their heads.

"In football, ma'am," Coach Taylor commented. "There is no such thing as a day of rest. And the Lord understands that, doesn't he fellas?" Daddy nodded while Jesse whooped in praise. Matt simply looked down and mumbled a 'yes, sir.'

"Well, perhaps there should be a day of rest," Mrs. Taylor said, forking through her pasta. "Otherwise, you men may never get any attention from your women again." At this the smiles dropped from the guy's faces. Us girls giggled and Julie and I shared an eye roll.

"Now that's just unfair," Daddy said before smiling over at his wife. She laughed harder and grabbed his face, kissing him soundly. Jesse and I made gagging noises and looked away. Coach and Mrs. Taylor did the same and Julie groaned and buried her face in my shoulder.

"Make it stop," We both giggled and covered our eyes. Our parents finally let up and went back to eating, this time the discussion didn't stray towards football too much.

* * *

Later that night, Jesse and I were playing poker in my room (for cookies). About halfway through the game, I had a thought and decided to tell my brother.

"I'm thinking about telling Julie what happened." Jesse looked up from his cards, eyebrows raised. "I think it's time someone here knew about it."

He shrugged and looked back down. "If that is what you want, then do it." I smiled and nodded. "I think Julie will understand. And I doubt she'd tell Seven. He couldn't get anything out of her if he tried." I smiled and had to hold back a laugh.

"Yeah, Julie has poor Matt Saracen wrapped around her finger." We both chuckled before returning to the game.

"I'm happy for you sis," I stopped and gazed at Jesse. "You come really far in the past year. It's almost as if it never happened."

Looking back at my cards, I smiled. "It definitely happened. I can still feel it sometimes, Jess." He looked angry at my words, but my soft smile kept him at bay. "But I'm learning from it and I'm moving on. It will always be there, but just a faint memory of a very bad time in my life."

He nodded, looking stiff. I reached over and hugged him, feeling him clutch me tightly. What had happened had taken a lot out of both of us. Nothing would ever be the way it used to be, but we were slowly getting back to normal. As normal as we ever were.

We went back to playing cards until Jesse announced that we both had to get up early and headed off for bed. I got ready and laid down, snuggling into the covers.

That night, I dreamed of Tim Riggins's eyes and Tim Riggins's smiling face.

* * *

A/N: There it is. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Spoiler for next chapter: Belle tells Julie everything. The Tim/Belle action was fun, but don't get your hopes up quite yet. A lot more is going to happen. All right, on my profile, I posted some links to see pictures of the actors I want for my own characters, except for Belle, because I have no idea who I want to play her. There's also a little present for you guys on there.

Reviews make Tim Riggins start to strip to Timberlake's "Sexy Back".

Don't ask why I picked that song, I have no idea.


	6. Monday 2

A/N: Alright. It may seem short, but there is some good stuff, so enjoy. Sorry it took a little longer to post, I had a philosophy paper but it was due today and now it's done and over so I'll be updating as much as possible.

* * *

**MONDAY**

The weekend had gone by too quickly for my liking. On Monday, I was not looking forward to school at all. I had slept 20 minutes past my alarm and had had no time to do anything to get ready. All I have to say is yay for sweatpants and t-shirts.

My mind was not at all on my schoolwork. Instead, I was thinking about exactly how to tell Julie about what had happened to me and not see the look of pity I feared so much in her eyes. Jesse and I arrived at school on time despite my inability to get out of bed.

"You good, sis?" He asked me as we were walking towards the front doors. I nodded absently, which caused him to sigh and shake his head. He threw his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. "It'll be ok."

We separated to go to class and I started running on autopilot. Even in my few classes with Julie before lunch, I was kind of just out of it. We talked, but I'm sure she could tell that I wasn't really all there.

* * *

When we finally got to lunch, conversation with me was limited. For the first time, Tim and I didn't sit next to each other, but I could see him throwing glances my way. He and Julie had seemed to make it their mission to get me involved in the conversation, but it didn't really work out.

On the way out of the lunchroom, Tim decided he was through and pulled me away from Julie and out the side door of the school, towards the football field.

"Tim, what are you doing?" I questioned, pulling my arm from his grasp. He stopped suddenly in front of me, making me almost run into him. I stood there for a second as he said nothing and just fidgeted, looking upset." Tim." He looked down at me and my brow furrowed at what I saw in his eyes.

Suddenly, I was against Tim and his mouth was on mine. All thoughts of telling Julie about my past, my worries about Tyra, everything was gone out of my head as we stood there kissing.

About 20 seconds later, I realized what I was doing and pulled away harshly from him. My lips were swollen and I could feel my cheeks reddening. Tim and I stared at each other and then I was gone.

"Belle!" I could hear Tim, but I couldn't bring myself to turn around and face him. I just kept running and finally found a safe haven in the girls' bathroom. For a few minutes I just sat there and breathed, thinking about what had happened. When I had finally calmed myself down, I was startled by a knock on the door.

"Um," I heard a somewhat familiar voice. "B-b-Belle?" Matt Saracen was standing outside the girl's bathroom, looking for me? "Um, Riggins is out here and he's kind of scaring me, so…so, um, could you come out now? Please?" I smiled slightly and looked at myself in the mirror. My face was flushed and red and I knew I didn't want to face Tim, but I also knew I had to.

I opened the door and was presented with the sight of Matt and Tim standing feet apart, Matt looking kind of scared, and Tim just looking like his broody self. "What are you doing here Matt?"

He looked away and at Tim before answering. "I, uh…I was going to the bathroom and then, R-riggins grabbed me and told me to get you out of the bathroom," I glared at Tim and then smiled at Matt. "I am just going to, uh, go back to class."

With that, Matt was gone, leaving Tim and me alone, something I wasn't looking forward to. We stood in silence for a moment before Tim finally spoke.

"I'm sorry," I continued to glare at the floor. "Look, I didn't mean for it to happen, it just did." Now my glare moved up to his face. "It's the truth. I was going to just talk to you but then you were standing there and…I just had to." He sounded almost pained. "You don't get it, do you?" Now, Tim Riggins was angry. "You come here and you…" He trailed off. I waited as patiently as I could. "You just drive me insane and I have to have you."

My brow furrowed and looked at him. "You have to have me? I'm not some prize to be won or something, Tim. If you want me, all you have to do is ask." My eyes went wide in shock as I realized what I had just said. Tim obviously realized it too, as he smirked and stepped closer to me.

"All I have to do is ask?" I opened my mouth but nothing came out. I was trapped between Tim Riggins at the wall with absolutely no way out. "Well, Miss Belle. This is me asking." I rolled my eyes and glared up at him.

"This is not asking, Tim. This," I gestured to the lack of space between us. "Is most definitely not asking. And until you do it right, I'm going to have to keep saying no." With that, I made my way out from between him and the wall. Without looking back, I knew that Tim was leaning against that wall, smiling at his ability to make me nervous.

* * *

I wasn't in any way looking forward to cheerleading practice. I knew Tim was going to be out there and I knew that he would enjoy annoying the hell out of me.

I grabbed my bag out of my locker and headed towards the girl's locker room, dreading the afternoon.

"Hey! Jackson!" I turned around and stared at Tyra. She glared at me. "What do you think you're doing?"

Looking down at the bag by my side, I shrugged. "Going to cheer practice." I said plainly, knowing good and well that that was not what she was talking about.

"Don't mess with me, Jackson. I mean with Tim." By now, she was very much up in my face. She was just a few inches taller than me, so I stared up at her.

Clearing my throat, I looked around the almost empty hallway. "I don't really think that is any of your business." We continued to stare each other down. I was probably going to be late, but I didn't really care at the moment. "Listen, Tyra, if I want to date Tim Riggins, I will. He's obviously not interested in you anymore and I think it would be best if you'd leave it alone."

With that, I left her standing in the middle of the hallway. Head held high, I marched into the locker room to change.

* * *

Coach Taylor and Daddy were drilling the guys hard today. Despite the fact that we had won on Friday, the next game was more important than the others. We didn't have a game this coming Friday, but the next week (hopefully) was our qualifying game for the play-offs. If Winsor didn't win this Friday, we were on our way to State.

It struck me as odd as to why we would be having practice this week if we didn't have a game, but I'm assuming that Miss Durr wanted us to be ready for next week.

Throughout the practice, I could feel Tim's eyes on me, but I refused to be moved by the fact. Avoiding Tim was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

"Riggins!" I heard Daddy yell. I looked over for the first time that afternoon and noticed that Tim had been standing looking at me and obviously ignoring practice. "Get back out there."

Tim nodded and sent me a smirk before throwing his helmet on and heading back onto the field. Daddy pointed at me and motioned me over. Raising my eyebrows, I told Miss Durr I'd be right back and headed over.

"I want to know exactly why Tim Riggins is staring at you Belle and I want to know now." His sunglasses hid his eyes, but I knew that he was practically seeing through me with his Daddy-vision or something like that.

I shrugged and looked at the guys practicing on the field. "I honestly have no idea." I'm sure that Daddy knew different, but he wasn't saying anything. I kissed him on the cheek and made my way back to cheerleading, hoping Tim wouldn't do anything to make my brother notice anything.

* * *

The worst part about sitting outside the locker room waiting for Jesse was the fact that I knew Tim could be coming out any second. Speak of the devil.

"Belle," He sauntered over and in all truth it was very hard for me to not jump him right then and there. He kneeled in front of me and smirked that undeniably sexy smirk of his. "Little Jackson."

I narrowed my eyes and smirked back at him. "What do you want Tim?" I regretted my question the moment I saw his face.

"I think we both know what I want," He leaned in close and whispered in my ear. Our faces were inches apart and if I moved forward, I would get to taste his lips again.

"Belle?" Jesse's confused voice dragged me out of my fantasy. Tim stood back up and nodded at my brother before going over to his truck. Jesse nodded back, but stared at him as he left. Once Tim was gone, he raised an eyebrow at me. Standing up, I rolled my eyes and glared at him.

"Shut up." Jesse laughed loud at that.

* * *

At dinner that night, Daddy just had to mention Tim's staring to my mother.

"So, Riggins was staring at you honey?" She asked. I glared at Daddy over the table, but he just went on eating his chicken and smiling, being the cocky man that he was. "Don't give your father that look. You should be telling me these things."

Jesse and I shared a look. "Mom, it's nothing. Tim and I just have this little inside joke." I could tell she wasn't buying it, but she let the subject drop and asked my brother about practice.

* * *

"An inside joke?" Jesse asked quietly as we were going to our rooms. I shushed him and pulled him into my room.

"Seriously. You guys are so annoying." I sat down on my bed and looked up at him. He just shrugged, smiling goofily. "Can you guys please just leave it alone? Nothing is going to happen between Tim and me."

He nodded and said nothing. After kissing my forehead, he left the room, leaving me to my thoughts.

I picked up my phone and checked my text messages.

One from Julie:

'We definitely need to go out and do something that doesn't involve football. Girls' night. SOON.'

I laughed and sent my response.

'Tomorrow. Need to tell you something.'

With that, I got ready for bed, lying down. My mind was whirling with thoughts of Tim and it took me forever to finally fall asleep. When I did, I dreamed of a sexy cowboy fullback with long hair and dreamy eyes.

* * *

A/N: Alright. I hope you guys enjoyed that. Reviews are welcome and even encouraged. I hope you guys checked out the pictures on my profile.


	7. Tuesday 2

A/N: Hey guys. Sorry this took so long. College is freaking crazy right now. This is the chapter where you guys will learn the truth about Belle and what happened. No flames please. Also, there's like 0 Tim in here, but I have my reasons. :)

* * *

**TUESDAY**

I had been in Dillon for one week. Well, one week and two days. It had only taken one week and two days for Tim Riggins to worm his charming way into my head.

That fact made me feel beyond sad and pathetic. Like some rally girl that he had smiled at in the hall. That fact made me feel even worse. Could my life in Dillon get anymore interesting?

Of course it could.

* * *

I slept through my alarm again. Jesse had to come and forcibly pull me out of the bed. Of course, all of this was my fault. My dreams of Tim had kept me awake all night for fear of having another one. Once I had finally fallen asleep, I did dream of the longhaired boy whose smile drove me absolutely insane (in a good way).

The drive to school was quiet, mostly because I was half asleep on the window of Jesse's truck. When Jesse woke me up and told me we were at school, I groaned loudly and pulled myself from his truck, not looking forward to the day with no sleep.

* * *

By the time lunch rolled around, I had gotten maybe ten minutes of sleep in my classes. Julie had kept me awake with questions about a certain fullback.

"So, Matt told me that he had to coax you out of the bathroom the other day," Julie hinted for answers as we went through the line. I glared at her. "He also said that it was Tim Riggins standing outside said bathroom who threatened him to get you out."

I sighed and pulled Julie over to a different table than our normal one with the guys. We sat down, noticing the looks Matt and the others were giving us. "Julie, can all of this wait? We're hanging out tonight. I'll tell you everything than. Everything." She nodded.

"Everything?" I smiled slightly and looked down.

"Everything."

* * *

The rest of the day passed without question from Julie or Matt, whom I assumed she had told to stay quiet. The rumors, however, didn't stop. Walking down the hall was hard, knowing that everyone was talking about the girl who had tamed Tim Riggins.

"I heard that Tim's turned down three rally girls in the past week..."

"Tim Riggins can't go that long with out sex…"

"She's obviously doing something right…"

"I don't know what's so special about her…"

"Did you hear about the scars on her legs?"

I shook my head and walked out of the building, towards the football field. I had only skipped class a few times, but today seemed like the perfect day to do so.

Making myself comfortable on the grass under the bleachers, I pulled out my iPod, hoping to get some much-needed sleep.

* * *

"Belle?" I heard distantly as I began to wake. "Honey, why are you sleeping on the football field?" Opening my eyes, I slowly focused on Mrs. Taylor's face in front of me.

Looking around, I was confused to see that I was under the bleachers by the football field. Then I remembered my ingenious plan to take a nap during school. I jumped up as quickly as I could.

"Sorry Mrs. Taylor. I just…"I had no idea what to tell her. 'I just needed to sleep because my mind was on Tim Riggins all night' did not seem like the best idea. "I just, uh…"

She smiled and pulled me towards her. "Honey, you're starting to sound like Matt." I looked away from her, laughing at her joke. "I'm not mad that you skipped class, I'd just like to know, as you're guidance counselor, why you needed a nap time."

"I was just tired Mrs. Taylor." I conceded slightly. It wasn't a total lie. It just wasn't the total truth. She gave me a look but let me go.

"Alright. Well, school's over so I suggest you go change into your cheerleading uniform. And I better not catch you doing this again." I nodded and made my way over to the locker rooms. Then I remembered that Miss Durr had canceled practice for today for some 'family thing' that we all knew was a date. So I backtracked and went to sit on the bleachers, hoping to be as invisible as possible during football practice.

Once the guys were on the field and had started to play, I was avoiding looking at them at all. I didn't want to see if Tim was looking over at me or if he was trying to catch my attention.

Closing my eyes, I leaned back against the bleacher row behind me. My mind wondered and I began to work out in my mind how to explain what had happened to me to Julie. That year and a half felt like centuries ago now and it felt as if it was going to be impossible for me to explain.

Feeling something grabbed my knee, I squealed and jumped up. It turned out to be Jesse in normal clothes, looking just a little bit sweaty. "Didn't mean to freak you out sis. Practice is over."

I glared up at him, but he just laughed lowly, knowing he had annoyed me.

"That was mean Jesse and you know it." He nodded, but said nothing as we walked to his truck. "You dropping me off at Julie's?" I questioned, trying to remember if I had told him about my girl's night.

"Yeah," He started the truck. "Mom said you have to be home by 11 though." I nodded and sat back, watching the scenery goes by.

* * *

"That was the best chili I've ever had, Coach Taylor." I smiled, putting down my spoon. Coach smiled and looked at me approvingly.

"I'm happy that someone finally appreciates it, Belle," He gazed at his wife and daughter. "Some people just don't understand my need for it to be so spicy. That's why I have to make the two batches." He chuckled when Mrs. Taylor reached out and swatted him on the arm.

Julie and I shared a look. Her parents were cute. It was great that they were still so in love after all these years. That was what I wanted for my future.

"Well, pardon me for being pregnant and not really enjoying the extra indigestion I get on top of what I already have." She scolded, but you could tell that she was that she was smiling and enjoying the banter with her husband.

"Yeah, yeah," Coach Taylor earned another whack before he finally conceded and got up.

Julie and I stood and took our bowls into the kitchen. I offered to help clean, but Coach and Mrs. Taylor were going to hear nothing of it. Julie finally led me back to her room and we sat on her bed and turned up some music to drown out the laughter from the living room.

"Parents are so embarrassing," She finally said, sagging into her pillows. I just shook my head and laughed. "Do your parents act like that?"

I shook my head and looked over at the window. "No. Mom and Dad tend to be more private than other people. All of their affection comes from little things and looks and stuff like that."

We both sighed and starting flipping through some magazines for some make-up and clothes ideas. It wasn't until we had girled ourselves out that Julie finally asked.

"So, you said you'd tell me everything." She said hopefully, eyes shining with question. I set my magazine down and moved to get more comfortable on the bed.

Sighing, I decided to start with the Tim thing and lead up to everything else. "Tim kind of…kissed me the other day." The last part rushed out as my cheeks burned and I avoided Julie's eyes.

"What?" She yell-whispered. "Tim Riggins kissed you? But, why?" I glared at her, not sure how to take that. "I just mean that he's Tim Riggins. It just doesn't really seem like him."

"I dunno," I shrugged and laid my head on my hands. "I just have no idea what to do. Tim confuses me so much and absolutely scares the crap out of me." Julie looked confused and motioned for me to continue. "I've never felt this way Julie. Good Lord, it's only been a week and I can say that I have never felt this way. Not even when…"

I trailed off, knowing this was what I didn't want to talk about. Julie laid her hand on mine and gave me an encouraging look.

"What I'm about to tell you, Julie, it…changed me. Forever. And I love Matt, but you cannot tell him or anybody what I am about to tell you." She nodded. Sticking my pinky out, I smiled smally at her. "Pinky swear."

She swore and I took a moment to breathe.

"Last year, Daddy was coaching at UT and Jesse and I were going to a school not so far from there. I went to almost all of the practices. I liked helping to and being the water girl sometimes." I breathed again. Slowly. In, out, in, out. "About 6 months into the job, one of the freshman on the team got an…interest in me. He was sweet. Flirting and complimenting me. I knew Daddy would never approve, so I went out with him in secret, claiming to be at friend's houses and stuff like that. We went on like that for about 4 months and then, one day, everything changed. He seemed angry about everything. Any time I couldn't do anything, he'd get so upset and I just didn't understand what was going on. Soon after that, it got kind of physical. We'd be hanging out and kind of making out and then he'd get more forceful about it. He's a football player. It's not like I could fight him. One day, I tried to fight him." Julie was avidly listening and I could tell she was trying to figure out what happened next. "He beat me up pretty bad. I had four broken and three bruised ribs, but he wasn't done. He tried to…" By now, I was almost hyperventilating. I reminded myself to breathe and just sat there for a second. Julie was beside me now and had her arm on my shoulders. I looked up at her, trying to keep my tears at bay while hers spilled out "I kicked him really good. Made sure he'd never want to do that to someone ever again." We both let out watery and sad laughs at that. "We took him to court and he's been in jail since. Daddy pulled out a major restraining order and he's not even allowed to live in Texas anymore really."

Julie and I shared a hug and just sat there for a minute. Then she lifted her head. "Can I ask one thing?" At my nod, she looked down. "What about the scars on your legs?"

"Despite the fact that it was over, it still haunted me. I just couldn't get what he wanted to do out of my mind. I spent a lot of time in my bathroom with a razor." She gasped quietly and I gave her a small smile. "I went to a lot of therapy and I'm better now. Now, all that's left are the scars. And I like them. They're reminders." I smiled wider. "They help me stay strong."

Julie and I spent the next couple of hours just hanging out and being girls. IT was an amazing feeling to be able to tell someone about what had happened. I felt so relieved and like I could breathe again. When Jesse picked me up, I smiled at him and just told him to drive. By the time we got home, I was crying very happy tears and we spent ten minutes in his truck, him letting me cry into his shirt.

That was when I realized that it was over. What had happened would never affect me like that again.

* * *

A/N: I hope you guys liked it. Nothing like that has ever happened to me, so I hope I made it as real as possible. I feel that abuse is a real problem and that no one should ever have to go through that. Just thought I'd make a stand at the end of this chapter. Let me know what you think.

Also, just thought I'd give a list of characters and actors who would portray them as a little present. Links to pictures are on my profile page.

Mrs. Jackson—Ashley Judd

Jesse—Mark Salling

I haven't fully decided on Belle or Coach Jackson, but let me know what you think.

I love you all! Thanks for sticking with this.


	8. Wednesday and Thursday 2

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. This chapter gave me some issues. I hope you guys like it. Let me know please. I see a lot of people like this story, but not a lot of people review. I love reviews! They make me VERY happy :)

* * *

WEDNESDAY

I woke up bright and early feeling like it was going to be a great day. Telling Julie what had happened to me had taken the load off my shoulders and I felt so absolutely amazing. Deciding what to wear, I picked a skirt for the first time since the event and I knew I wouldn't care if people saw my scars.

When I walked into the kitchen for breakfast, all conversation stopped. I went over to Daddy and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Morning Daddy, morning Mama." My parents just looked at me, confusion on their faces. Jesse, however, was smiling; looking happier than if he'd won the lottery. Despite my parent's confusion, breakfast went on as normal and Jesse and I left for school.

* * *

At school, I held my head high and refused to listen to the rumors spreading. Although I knew the skirt would cause some drama because of my scars, I just let it go and ignored the stares.

"Hey," Julie said quietly when we met in class. I beamed and sat down next to her. "Well, you look happy."

Nodding, I looked down at my notebook. "I am," At her slightly puzzled look, I giggled. "Telling you helped me so much Julie. I just…it's great to have a friend who cares enough to listen and be there for you."

We did the girliest thing and hugged and giggled. Throughout the class, the teacher was shushing us and trying to get us to calm down to no avail. We were just too happy.

* * *

Going into the lunchroom was easier than I thought it would be. Almost the entire room was staring at me, but I couldn't care less as I made my way over to our usual table. I even sat down next to Tim, who looked slightly confused at mine and Julie's practically insane grins.

"It's so unfair how the cheerleader's don't have practice, but you guys do," Landry started saying. We all just rolled our eyes and gave each other looks. "It's true. It's gotta be like, some kind of discrimination. Athletic discrimination." He nodded enthusiastically, enjoying his point very much.

"Landry, shut up," Matt smiled at his friend and laughed when Landry's mouth dropped open.

"Now that is discrimination right there." I gave him a questioning look.

"How is that discrimination, Landry?" He shrugged and drank some milk. "Something tells me that you have no idea what you're talking about."

We all laughed again. Julie leaned over and tapped my arm. "Landry never knows what he's talking about." The table burst into laughter and got some looks from the rest of the lunchroom. I glanced over at Tim, who was smirking and looking at me. We shared a moment before Landry took the table's attention once again.

* * *

After the moment I had shared with Tim at lunch, I was actually feeling ok about seeing him at practice that afternoon. As Julie and I made our way to the bleachers, I could see him out of the corner of my eye warming up. Julie gave me a look, but said nothing.

"So, are we all gung-ho for some Tim Riggins now?" She asked once we were seated. Laughing when I glared at her, she put hand on my shoulder. "I guess yesterday was really good for you. You seem really happy."

Sighing, I watched the boys running down the field and smiled when I caught Tim's eye. "I am. And I think I'm ready to give Tim Riggins a run for his money," We both giggled and watched the rest of the practice.

* * *

As I waited outside the locker room, I went over my plan in my head. I was waiting for Tim to come through that door and I was going to mess with him the same way he had messed with me.

"Well if it ain't Miss Belle," He swaggered out of the locker rooms and over to wear I was sitting. I smiled at him and leaned against the wall. Tim came over to me and used his arm to prop himself up in front of me. "Have you thought about what I asked the other day?"

Giving him a smile, I leaned in towards him. "Well, Mr. Riggins, I've thought about it, but I must tell you that I don't remember you asking me anything." With that, I pushed his arm and laughed at him attempting to catch himself.

As I walked away, I could see Tim's confused expression. He obviously hadn't expected anything like that out of me. He moved to follow me as I went over to Jesse's truck. "Belle."

I turned to look at him and leaned back against Jesse's truck. Tim joined me and stared at me for a moment. We just stood there, him scrutinizing and me just watching.

"What are you doing?" He asked me. I gave him a confused look and shrugged. "You're acting so different. I just want to know what's going on."

Lowering my gaze, I decided to find my shoes very interesting. "I thought this would be what you'd want." He chuckled and leaned towards me, causing my eyes to widen and find his.

"Don't get me wrong, darling," He drawled, casting his eyes down at my lips. "I love what you're doing. I just know that it isn't you." He definitely had me there. This persona I had developed today wasn't me; but it was someone I had kind of wanted to be before. "So," I turned my attention back to him. "What would you say if I asked right now?"

We stood in silence for a moment as he waited for my answer. Finally, I caught his eye and smiled. "I'd say you'd have to take me on a date."

Tim laughed and leaned down to kiss my forehead. "That I can do. Friday?" I nodded; smiling wider if that was possible. "See you then, Miss Belle."

As he was leaving, Jesse walked over. They nodded at each other before Tim got into his truck and drove off. Jesse walked over to me and gave me a confused look as I continued to smile widely in the direction of Tim's truck.

"It's a girl thing, isn't it?" He chuckled when I nodded. "Tell Julie tomorrow. I don't think I can sit through your 'girl stuff'." We both laughed and I punched his arm as we got into the truck. "Especially when it's about Tim Riggins."

* * *

That night, I lay in bed thinking about Tim. As I was about to fall asleep, my eyes popped open and I slowly rolled onto my back.

What was my dad going to think about this?

* * *

THURSDAY

I woke up feeling a somewhat sense of dread. I knew I was going to have to inform my father that Tim Riggins would be taking me out on Friday, but I really didn't want to.

At the breakfast table, Dad and Jesse discussed football (nothing new) while I tried to find a way to tell my dad without upsetting him too much.

"So," I started, clearing my throat. "Would it be ok if…I spent the night at Julie's house on Friday?" The lie came out so quickly that I couldn't stop it. MY parents smiled at me.

"Of course you can, sweetheart," My mother nodded and patted me on the shoulder as she walked past. "As long as it's alright with the Taylors."

Jesse gave me a look as we walked out of the house and towards his truck. "What?" I finally asked, glaring at him. He smiled and shrugged, starting the car.

When we finally arrived at school, I stopped glaring at Jesse, who was singing along loudly to the radio, and got out of the car. I sped into the building and made my way through the halls to find Julie. I gasped when a hand grabbed my arm and gave a relieved sigh when I realized that it was just Tim.

"Where you going so fast, little Jackson?" He questioned, smirking his usual smirk. Once my breathing had slowed, I looked up at him.

"Going to find Julie, Riggins," He raised his eyebrow at the last name. "Got a problem with that?"

We were in some kind of faceoff as we stood in the crowded hallway. Finally, he grabbed my hand, less roughly this time, and guided me to a deserted classroom down the hall. Once inside, Tim leaned against the teacher's deck and pulled me forward to stand in front of him.

It was silent for a few moments before he took my books out of my hands and laid them on the desk behind him. He took my hands in his and gazed at my face. "Are you ok?" My eyebrows rose, as I wasn't expecting that question. "It's just been, a…busy couple of weeks and you just got here and…I don't know. I feel like I'm taking advantage of you and I don't want to do that—" I silenced Tim by placing my hand over his mouth.

"Tim, if I didn't want this, it wouldn't happen. Ok?" He nodded and looked down at our hands. "Besides, I'm kind of ok with the idea of you taking advantage of me." We both smiled slyly before sharing a soft kiss.

"Mr. Riggins," We turned around to see an older woman standing in the doorway. "I should have expected this. I haven't seen you in this classroom yet this year."

I blushed heatedly while Tim just laughed and grabbed our books. "Sorry, Mrs. Hill. Sometimes, I just can't help myself." We exited the classroom, but not before Tim gave the older women a wink.

Tim escorted me to class, carrying my books and holding my hand. I have to say, I felt really special. But then, I remembered what Mrs. Hill had said. Was that classroom one that Tim used a lot? As I said goodbye and stole my books back, I made a mental note to discuss all of this with Julie. And maybe Lyla.

* * *

My early classes had been quite busy. Julie and I had had no chance to talk and were both so tired of all the work we had been given. I really wanted to talk to Julie about the new information I had learned about Tim, but every time we tried to talk, we either got in trouble or were simply told to be quiet.

When we were making our to the lunchroom, I was finally able to say something.

"Would it be ok if I spent the night tomorrow?" Julie looked surprised and nodded slowly.

"I'm going out with Matt, but you can come over after if you want." Nodding, I looked away and then back at her as we picked up some food (if you could call it that).

"Would it be ok if, I…um, if I came over and got ready then went out and then we could do the sleepover thing?" She gave me a questioning look and I sighed. "I'm going on a date and I lied and told my parents I was spending the night with you."

Julie's eyes narrowed as we reached the table. When she spotted Tim, she glared. "Are you going out with Tim?" She grunted when I refused to meet her gaze. "Fine. You can come over at about 6 if you want and we'll pretend we're going to see a movie so that my dad doesn't see you with Tim."

"Yeah," I nodded thankfully. "Cause coaches tell other coaches everything. It's like some kind of stupid code."

When I sat down next to Tim, he casually stretched his arm out behind my chair, but continued to keep up a conversation with Landry and Jason. I found it absolutely amazing that he could make me know that he was there without actually really doing anything.

What I didn't realize was that one person did notice. And that one person had a lot to say on my relationship with Tim.

* * *

"Ok, girls, we're good." Miss Durr called out as we formed the final formation. All of us exhaled happily and made our way towards the locker rooms.

Once I was changed and a lot less sweaty, I pulled my bag out my locker and made my way towards the door. "Belle." I turned and gave Lyla my attention. "I was hoping we could talk for a little bit."

I nodded and she followed me out to the bleachers. Once we had sat down, I turned to her expectantly, but she was watching the football team.

"You know," She started. "After Jason had his accident, everything changed. I spent all of my time with him at the hospital and the rehab center. It was…really hard on me." She stared down at her fingers, linking them together. "That time in my life…I did a lot of things I'm not proud of Belle. I hurt a lot of people who didn't deserve it." I had no idea where all of this was going, but I was very intrigued. "A week or so after the accident, I…Tim and I…a lot of stuff happened. Stuff that I'm not proud of." My heart raced as I realized what she was saying. "I nearly lost the only man I'd ever loved and broke the heart of a man who claimed to love me."

I looked out onto the field and found Tim, who was standing next to Jason drinking water. Jason said something, and Tim laughed loudly before returning to the practice.

"So, do you think he's still in love with you?" Lyla didn't respond immediately and I figured she didn't know what to say.

She sighed loudly and brushed imaginary dirt off of her jeans. "I really have no idea how Tim feels. What happened between us…it changed him." My gaze found Tim again as he ran down the field to catch the ball. "I wish I could give you some kind of hope that Tim's over me, but I can't. That's something you'd have to ask him for yourself."

Lyla finally bade me goodbye and left me alone with my thoughts. When practice ended, I waited by Tim's truck, wanting to just see him.

He came out and smiled seeing me leaning against his truck. "You know, I could most definitely get used to this." He kissed me soundly and threw his stuff through the window. "So, I'll pick you up tomorrow at 7?"

I nodded and smiled. "Yeah. About that. Can we meet at like, the Alamo Freeze or something?" He looked confused, but nodded. "I'm staying over at Julie's tomorrow and she's got a date with Matt. We just figured it would be easier." Yet another lie rolled off my tongue so easily.

Tim and I said goodbye and I walked over to Jesse, who was waiting by his truck. We said nothing and once we were home, I went upstairs to work on my homework.

I spent the rest of the night thinking about what Lyla had told me.

* * *

A/N: Alright! That it's. Soon will be the big date and a conversation that Belle wants to have with Tim. Please let me know what you guys think. Reviews make Taylor Kitsch pull off his shirt and flex. :)


	9. Friday 2

A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry this update took so long. College has been crazy. Hello to midterms! As a freshman, it's all sort of new. But thankfully, I've had some free time today so I got the new chapter up just for all of you. And without further ado, the date

* * *

FRIDAY

I had spent most of my night tossing and turning, unable to get what Lyla had told me out of my head.

I could tell that Tim liked me, I mean, we had a date tonight; I just didn't know how much he still liked Lyla. One thing I never wanted was play second to any other girl.

As I got ready that morning and packed my overnight bag for Julie's, I decided that I wouldn't bring up my conversation with Lyla until I knew exactly where Tim and I stood.

When Jesse pulled the truck into the school, I checked myself in the mirror. I wanted this day to go perfectly so that my date wouldn't be ruined. Once I got out of the truck and was following Jesse up the steps, I noticed Tim standing next to the front doors.

Jesse turned around to give me a look, but I just glared at him and shooed him inside. Tim and I stood outside the doors, watching a few of our classmates mill around before the bell rang.

"So," I said, causing both Tim and I to laugh. I smiled when I heard his deep, throaty laughter. It was great to hear that sound come from his brooding lips. I found myself wondering what other sounds he could make with that beautiful, deep voice.

Just as quickly as the thought was there, I was shaking it out of my head. Right now was definitely not the time to be thinking about Tim Riggins and sex. We barely knew each other.

"You ready for tonight?" Tim asked slyly, obviously hoping I hadn't changed my mind. I grinned and leaned in towards him.

"The question is," I whispered close to his ear. "Are you?" The bell rang and I left a very happy looking Tim Riggins standing outside the school.

* * *

By second period, I was wishing the day was already over. It felt like I had been at school for days when it had barely been two hours. I blamed the time slow on my date with Tim. The universe seemed to be against me actually getting to my date before I shriveled up and died.

Julie was getting really tired with my griping. By the time lunch rolled around, I could tell it was hard for her to just be around me because I was complaining so much.

"Finally," She breathed out when we sat down next to Matt and Landry. I nodded and looked down at my plate, knowing I had kind of annoyed her this morning.

She and Matt shared a light kiss and three of them started a conversation about some kind of video game. Well, it was mostly Matt and Landry…well, mostly Landry, but Julie sometimes got to stick her opinion in.

When I felt Tim sit down next to me, I smiled and looked up at him. He grinned back, looking undeniably sexy in his plaid shirt and messy hair. I leaned towards him and he put his arm over the back of my chair.

"So, what are we doing tonight?" I asked, looking up at him shyly. He smiled and shook his head, refusing to tell me. Crossing my arms over my chest, I huffed and started eating my fries. Tim chuckled lowly beside me and leaned in to steal one of my fries.

"I think you can live until tonight to know." Smirking, he sat back and rubbed my shoulder blade with his thumb. I relented and sighed, enjoying the treatment. So I'll pick you up at the Alamo Freeze? Right?"

I nodded and finished off my fries before leaning my head onto the table and deciding to nap until lunch was over.

* * *

That afternoon, us girls got to endure cheerleading practice and watch the guys endure their football practice. Throughout most of it, I had a hard time keeping myself focused. My mind kept wondering to Tim and what Lyla had said about him.

While Miss Durr went on about the coming week and what we would be doing, I was trying to convince myself that Tim was going out with me because he liked me, not to throw something in Lyla's face.

About halfway through practice, I realized that I was being an idiot. I needed to stop thinking so hard and just go with this. Besides, if Tim were using Jason, Jesse, my father and me would all have something to say about it.

With my newfound thought process, I waited outside the locker room, hoping to get to Julie's ASAP and talk to her about all of this. When Jesse walked out of the room next to Tim, they were both laughing and Jesse clapped Tim on the shoulder and said goodbye. I gave Jesse a look and he reluctantly left the two of us alone.

Tim and I just stood there for a moment before he reached up and brushed back a piece of my hair. "I'll see you soon." I nodded and he walked off towards his truck. I hurried over to Jesse, who was watching the scene suspiciously.

"Do I want to know?" He questioned, glaring at Tim's truck leaving the lot.

I shrugged and pushed past him and into the truck. "If you did, you wouldn't have to ask that."

Jesse glared, but dropped it and got into the truck.

Ten minutes later, we pulled up in front of the Taylor household and I got out to grab my bag from the back.

Jesse came around and told me to be careful, giving me a kiss on the forehead before leaving. I stared after his truck and realized that I couldn't keep anything from my brother. For a football player, he was kind of a genius.

Once inside, Julie and I disappeared into her room to get ready. We were trying our hardest to not get too dolled up. Coach and Mrs. Taylor just thought she and Matt and I were going to a movie. I didn't want to see how Coach would react if he knew that I was really going on a date with the infamous Tim Riggins.

* * *

At 6:20, Matt and Julie dropped me off at the Alamo Freeze. They had wanted to stay and keep an eye on me, but I wasn't worried. It was Friday night. The Alamo was packed and I knew no one would want to mess with Jesse's little sister.

Tim's truck pulled into the lot at 6:30. He stepped out and looked just as hot as the first moment I had seen him. Faded jeans that hugged his muscled thighs and frayed out over his cowboy boots, button down flannel that was practically painted on to his chest.

I blushed and looked away when he spotted me. Tim definitely didn't need anyone boosting his already huge ego when it came to girls.

We met outside the door, both shuffling a bit with awkward 'first date' tension. Tim smiled and reached out to grab my hand, lightly pulling me towards his truck.

"Where are we going?" I asked, realizing that he had never told me what exactly was going to happen on this date. Tim smirked and opened the truck door for me, boosting me inside.

"I was thinking we'd go bowling, if that's alright with you?" Looking over at him, I nodded and leaned back in my seat, determined to not make this awkward.

As Tim drove, I attempted to keep my eyes glued to anything but him. The radio was playing softly in the background and Tim's foot was tapping along to the country song playing. I could see my hands shaking and pressed them firmly into my lap. It had been way too long since I'd been on a date.

I listened to the soft radio and smiled when I recognized the song playing.

"…is the slamin' screen door. Sneaking out late, tapping on your window, when we're on the phone…" I sang quietly, trying to calm my nerves. I was so out of it, that I didn't notice Tim reach over to turn the radio up some more. I jumped a little and stopped singing.

"Keep going," Tim said, resting his arm over the back of the seat. "It was good. I didn't know you could sing."

I laughed and shook my head, my eyes returning to my lap. "I'm just singing along with the radio. It's not like it's that great." Tim chuckled, but didn't say more. I smiled and hummed quietly, noting how his mouth quirked at the corners.

We pulled into the parking lot of the bowling ally and I was thankful that it didn't look nearly as crowded, as I would have thought for a Friday night.

Tim helped me out of his truck and we made our way inside. Tim paid for two games and grabbed our shoes when the pimple-faced attendant laid them on the counter. I followed him to a lane further down and away from the kids' parties and other teenagers.

Once we had chosen our balls and Tim had entered our names into the system, he was first up.

I watched appreciatively when he lined up his shot and threw the ball, noting how his muscles worked and moved with him. The pins dropped and I looked down the lane to see that only one pin was left.

"That's how it's done, Little Jackson," He commented, smirking over at me. I smiled up at him, pretending to be amazed. Tim picked up the ball and took a second shot, missing the remaining pin by just a few inches.

I got up and picked up my ball, struggling slightly to make a show of not knowing much about bowling. Tim continued to sit and smirk, thinking he'd already won. I lined up my shot and took a breath. Sweeping my arm forward, I let the ball go and watched it roll down the lane.

When the ball reached the pins, all of them went down and I jumped up excitedly and turned to face Tim, who was scowling at me. "How exactly is it done, Riggins?"

After our first game (which I had won, much to the dismay of Tim), Tim dragged me to the counter and we picked out some food and sat at the table by our lane to eat.

"So," Tim drawled, looking up at me through his hair. "I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about being beat by a girl." I scoffed and continued to eat my pizza. We sat in silence, but I found it was comforting instead of awkward.

"Are you prepared to get beat again?" I questioned smugly, making Tim glare at me. "It's not my fault you're not that great at bowling, Tim."

I realized my mistake when Tim stood up and walked around to my side of the table. Getting up quickly, I ran to the other side of the lane, close to the thing where you can get your balls back. Tim followed, slowly, almost cat-like. He was determined to get to me and I knew he could if he wanted. I took a chance and ran off, towards the girls' bathroom.

"Oh, no, no. You're not pulling that on me again." I shrieked when he picked me and laughed as he carried me fireman style back to our lane.

"Tim! Put me down!" I knew we were creating a scene, but neither of us cared. Tim set me in the chair in front of the scoring screen and pushed down on my shoulders when I tried to get back up. "I don't like you." I pouted and looked away from him.

Tim snorted and dropped down in front of me. "Oh stop being a baby." I glared at his boots and knew he was smiling. "Come on." He took my hands and rubbed circles on them with his thumbs. "I'm just going to show you how much better I am than you at bowling."

With that, he moved to the end of the lane and we started bowling again.

* * *

"I just," I laughed loudly, looking over at Tim as we sat in his truck. "I can't picture you in a cheerleading skirt." Tim smiled over at me, and then turned back to the road. I giggled quietly and snorted, making me giggle even more.

"It wasn't that funny," Tim said, sounding slightly embarrassed. It seemed I couldn't talk, so I nodded and kept giggling until I needed to breathe again. Glancing at the clock, I noticed that it was only 9. Julie and Matt's movie still had at least an hour left. "So, we've got some time. What do you want to do?"

I looked over at him and shrugged, suddenly feeling my nerves act up again. "What do you want to do?" Tim shrugged as well and kept driving. "We could, go…talk somewhere." My voice was shaky, but I tried to sound as confident as possible.

Tim looked over at me and nodded before turning off on a dirt road. I shivered and watched my hands shake. Clasping them tightly in front of me, I focused on my breathing in order to relax myself. I didn't want to come off nervous and look like a little girl.

Tim stopped the truck, but left it running. Despite the fact that it was still August, I was shivering. We sat there for a second, me taking in the scenery on the dirt road and over the cliff.

"You good?" I looked over at Tim and nodded before looking down again. "What do you want to talk about?" My eyes shot to Tim's. I'd figured he'd just reach over and pull me to him and just start going at it. "Come on, Belle. I've got more class than to just start making out with you when you look so nervous."

I blushed and nodded, feeling foolish for thinking thoughts like that. "I know. But, I wouldn't have too much of an issue with it." Tim smiled sweetly at me, something I didn't really know he could do, and reached over to take my hand. He pulled me to him and tucked me under his arm. My shivering slowed as we just sat there and I felt my self-drifting off to sleep in the comfort of Tim's arms.

* * *

A/N: All right! Kind of a cliffy. I shall give you no clues for the next chapter. I am sorry this took so long and I'm gong to post the new chapter ASAP. Thanks so much guys for all the love. I hope you enjoyed.


	10. Saturday 2

A/N: So, I finally have some time, so here is the new chapter. I was happy with the response I got from the last chapter, and I hope this one gets just as much.

* * *

Without further ado from my ranting, the next chapter. And again, I am really sorry that this took so long to get up. Thankfully, I only have 5 more weeks of classes and then I can update almost every day!

"Belle," I grumbled and snuggled into the warm blanket htat was attempting to wake me up. "You gotta wake up baby." Groaning, I slowly opened my eyes and stretched away from the warmth. Looking up, I found that the warmth was from Tim, who had thought to be my blanket.

I shot up quickly and moved to the other side of the truck, looking around the dark, sleepily trying to figure out where I was. I ascertained that we were still parked by the cliff and reached down to find my phone.

25 Missed Calls

18 Text Messages

I laid my head in my hands and and groaned louder. Sparing Tim a glance, I saw him looking sleepy and wild. Hair mussed from moving around in the cab, shirt wrinkled (and probably drooled on, knowing me). If I wasn't so freaked out about the fact that it was 12:20 in the morning, I would have been turned on by the hot cowboy next to be.

I groaned loudly and leaned forward, bracing my hands in front of me, and began banging my head on the dashboard. Tim gave me a frightened look and grabbed my shoulders before I could do it again.

"Belle," He stroked my now throbbing forehead. "Can I ask why you've decided to bludgeon yourself to death?" I laughed humorlessly and shook my head.

"My parents are going to kill me. Julie's parents are going to kill me." Shrugging, I practically collapsed into the seat. "I might as well kill myself and skip the punishments."

Tim laughed and shook his head, starting the car. My eyes shot to him and I glared. "What is so funny, Mr. Riggins?" I figured the last name would get his attention more than anything else. He ignored me, and drove. "Tim, you had better tell me what is going on."

When I got no answer for the second time, I reached over and pulled on a lock of his long hair. "Hey!" He swiped at me as we stopped at a red light. "Don't get violent. I'm taking you to Julie's. She called me. Apparently, by the time she got home, her parents were already passed out on the couch and she sent them to bed under the impression that you were already getting ready to sleep. Now, you just have to be really quiet when you go inside." My eyebrows rose. "Genius, right?"

I nodded and moved my focus to the road as we pulled onto Julie's street. I glared at Tim, but sighed and turned my attention to my hands in my lap as the silence in the cab grew. "So…" Tim laughed at my attempt to break the silence and pulled on my elbow to get me to look at him.

"Did you at least have fun? Despite the fact that we spent most of the date sleeping?" I grinned and rolled my eyes. Tim drew me closer and kissed my forehead, smoothing back my hair in an uncommonly sweet gesture. I held on for a few more seconds before relenting and letting him go.

* * *

As I made my way up the street to Julie's, Tim stayed at the corner, lights on to guide me. When I was on the Taylor's driveway, I turned and waved smally, smiling when he flashed his lights. It wasn't until I was inside the house that I heard the distinct sound of Tim's truck moving down the road.

I tip-toed down the hall and opened Julie's door as quietly as possible. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't what I found. Julie was sprawled on the bed reading a magazine and looked up with a huge grin as I came inside.

"So," She laid her magazine on the floor and sat up. "What exactly have you and Tim Riggins been doing for this long?" I glared at her as I changed and wiped off my make-up.

Shaking my head, I turned to look at her. "I don't know if you'd believe me." She said nothing, just sat there smiling, so I scoffed and walked over to sit on the corner of the bed. "Sleeping."

Julie's brow furrowed. "Sleeping." She said the word slowly, almost trying to decide if it was real. "Like, nap time sleeping, or 'sleeping' sleeping." I giggled and threw the wipe I was using at her.

"Nap time sleeping. It was great. We went bowling and talked, and then we just went somewhere, parked and fell asleep." I smiled dreamily and remembered Tim and I singing along loudly to the radio in the bowling alley. "Tim was…so awesome."

We both giggled some more, but finally decided to go to sleep seeing as we were already supposed to be. As I laid on the cot by Julie's bed, I smiled to myself, and fell asleep with Tim on my mind.

* * *

"Alright ladies," I heard Mrs. Taylor's voice through my sleepy haze. "We let you sleep till noon. It's time to get up now." Once the door was closed, I reached over and hit Julie with my pillow, knowing it might take a minute or two to get her up.

"Mmphf," Her words were muffled by her pillow. I rolled my eyes and hit her again before getting up from my bed.

When I reached the bathroom, I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and looked at myself. My late night had produced bags under my eyes, but I didn't feel the need to care when I thought of Tim. Suddenly, my thoughts turned to Tim and Lyla, and I scowled dangerously at my reflection.

Standing there, I realized that I would have to talk to Tim about Lyla eventually, but what if that just made his feelings for her, whatever they were, grow even more? I shook my head quickly and went to the restroom before going back into Julie's room to make sure she got up.

* * *

Three hours later, Julie and I were on our way to the Alamo Freeze with Matt and Landry. Not my ideal afternoon, but anything was better than being at home knowing that Jesse was going to ask about Tim.

"So," Landry slyly shifted his gaze to me. "Did you have a good night, Miss Belle?" I stared at him for a moment, scowling before turning to glare at Julie.

"You told!" Julie cringed slightly , but shook her head.

"I told Matt. Just Matt." She and I both turned to glare at Matt, who avoided our gazes to watch the road. Julie hissed and smacked him in the back of the head. "Just because Landry is your best friend, doesn't mean you tell him everything." Matt stuttered, bobbing his head up and down trying to appease his girlfriend.

I glared at the back of Matt's head, then reached forward to pinch Julie's arm. "And just because Matt is your boyfriend doesn't mean you tell him everything."

She rubbed her sore arm, but shrugged. "Matt's so quiet, I figured he wouldn't say anything. Especially not to someone with a big mouth like Landry."

"I resent that," Landry pouted, looking indignant. "I do not have a big mouth."

I giggled and glanced over at him. His eyes shot to me and my giggles grew into full on laughter. Julie joined in, and Matt chuckled awkwardly, seemingly not sure if he was allowed. "You have to admit," I reasoned, stilling laughing under my breath. "Your mouth is abnormally large."

Landry huffed and crossed his arms childishly. Julie, Matt and I continued laughing until he finally joined in.

When we pulled up to the Alamo Freeze, I could see Smash and his friends outside, music blaring as they goofed off.

"Yo, Saracen!" Smash yelled as Matt parked the car. The two football players did a sort of handshake and I rolled my eyes at Julie. "Landry, Julie, Little Jackson." I nodded my head, but grabbed Julie's arm to head inside.

"I wonder what it feels like to not be the Coach's daughter." I complained, ordering a vanilla cone. Julie just shook her head and ordered a coke.

"Please," She sighed. "Life would probably be much more boring. Where would we get our entertainment?" She nodded to the windows, where we could see Smash wrestling with one of his friends. We both chuckled and found ourselves a booth. "Besides, this place may be crazy, but it could definitely be worse. And if you weren't a Coach's daughter, you might not have ever met Tim."

She laughed loudly when I banged my head on the table. When I looked back up, Matt and Landry were standing there looking confused and amused.

* * *

I opened my front door slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible. If I could just get to my room without running into Jesse, I'd be fine. I knew he'd have a lot of questions, some I definitely wouldn't want to answer and he was just too stubborn. He's pretty much the master of annoying secrets out of people.

I practically tiptoed past the kitchen, noticing that neither of my parents was anywhere to be seen. I could hear the TV in the living room, so I snuck a glance and my jaw dropped.

My brother was sitting on the couch, playing another of his ridiculous video games…with Tim. They obviously hadn't seen me; they were so engrossed in the game in front of them. I scoffed quietly and moved to make my way to my room.

"You're horrible at sneaking, you know that?" Tim's voice laughed at me from the couch. I winced and turned, noticing that they were both looking at me.

I dropped my bag and walked cautiously into the room. "I guess my dreams of becoming a spy are ruined." Jesse grunted and stood, giving me a kiss on the orehead before heading to the kitchen. Tim and I stared after him before meeting each other's eyes. "Did he just…?"

"Leave us alone together? I think so." Tim smiled and motioned me over to the couch. Glancing behind me to make sure Jesse wasn't around, I dropped down next to him, smiling when he grabbed my hand.

"So," I said, watching his thumb rub the back of my hand soothingly. "Did you have fun last night?" I glanced up at him, and he nodded. "Good." We sat in silence for a few moments.

Tim reached out and pushed a piece of hair off my face, forcing me to look up at him. "So, you think it'd be possible for me to take you out again? Maybe this Friday after the game?"

"Tim, this is a qualifying game. Don't you think you'll want to party after the win?"

He just shook his head and scoffed. "I already know we're going to win. I'd much rather hang out with you then go watch Smash rap all night." That made me laugh and nod. "I'll take that as a yes."

I nodded more enthusiastically and he kissed my palm. All of this seemed so uncharacteristic for the Tim Riggins I thought I had figured out. That made me think of what Lyla had said. How did I know who the real Tim Riggins was? I could feel the shift in the room and I'm sure Tim noticed it too. "Tim…" I trailed off, unsure of where to start.

"Sis!" I heard Jesse's booming voice and jumped to the other end of the couch just before he entered the room. Tim looked extremely nonchalant as we sat there, like what had been happening hadn't. "You want to play winner?"

Glancing at Tim, I could see the question in his eyes, but I let it go and shook my head. "You know how bad I am at these games. I'll just let you boys get back to it.

* * *

I've got homework."

With that, I left the room, feeling Tim's eyes on me and refusing to look back.

As I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind raced. Where was all of this going? Tim and me. And how bumpy was the road going to be getting there?

Guys, I apologize profusely for abandoning this story as long as I did. I got so busy with school and work and I just didn't even really think about it. Now, I've got some more time and I promise I'm going to keep up with it. Chapters might be less frequent then they were at the beginning, but I'm going to try for every other week. So, Happy New Year and I hope all of you liked the chapter. As an extremely belated gift, I'm going to at least do three chapters this week. Promise. Reviews are welcomed and encouraged! :)

May this year be the best one yet!


End file.
